Consanguinity
by majiklmoon
Summary: Future Max comes back, but the Granolith takes him too far back in time.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Consanguinity

**Rating:**Teen/Adult 

**Disclaimer:** Roswell belongs to first to Melinda Metz, then to Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox. She created them; they killed them. I'm just borrowing them. The beginning excerpts are taken from End of the World, written by? All excerpts taken from End of the World will be written in italics. They are not my creation, nor am I attempting to plagiarize. The inclusion of this excerpt is necessary for the storyline.

**Author's Note:** I've been thinking about this for a long time. There's no secret about my utter HATE for EotW and Tess, but I also believe that Tess is a victim of circumstance. She is a classic case of nurture vs. nature. I wanted to see what would happen if I changed her childhood environment. Now, I know I'm usually really good about updating, but I make no promises on this one at all. I'm working on several personal projects that I want to complete as well. 

Consanguinity   
1. Relationship by blood or by a common ancestor.  
2. A close affinity or connection.

**Prologue**

_"I won't leave you," Max said. ___

_"No, no, no. Max, you have to," Liz said, her voice ripe with anguish. ___

_"If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist. Not as we do now," Max said. __  
__Liz wiped a tear from her eye. "Max, if you don't do this, we're gonna die. Everyone will. Max, you have to do this. You have to try it." __  
__"I'll never see you again," Max said. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek. "Thank you." __  
__"For what?" Liz asked. __  
__"For every kiss, every smile." __  
__"Max, I don't have any regrets," Liz whispered. ___

_Liz watched as Max slid a crystal into the base of the granolith, causing it to come to life. Max reached up and touched it's glowing sides, and a vortex opened, pulling him inside. He pressed his hand against the side, and Liz reached up with hers, trying to touch him one last time. ___

_Without warning, Liz was thrown to the ground, and Max was pulled upward inside the granolith, only to vanish from sight._ His last conscious thought was not of Liz, but of the Terminator movies.

'I hope I don't go back, naked,' he thought just before losing consciousness.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Max woke slowly, his body stiff from resting on the hard dirt floor. Unsure of where he was, or why, he sat up slowly and looked around, afraid he had been returned to the white room. His vision sharpened and he looked around. He was in some sort of cave, but he didn't know why.

Max pulled his legs up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them, trying to figure out where he was, and why, but the only thing that kept echoing in his head was a foreign voice chanting 'I'll be back.'

"I'll be back," he said, trying the words out. He adjusted the timbre of his voice and tried again. "I'll be back." With that, a flood of memories came rushing back. "Terminator!" he shouted, remembering the movie he Michael, Kyle and Alex loved to watch over and over again.

This isn't the alley behind the CrashDown, he said to himself. Shit, it's the pod chamber. How the hell did I end up here?

Resigned to a long hike back to town, Max opened the chamber door and stepped out into the desert. He started walking toward the highway, but stopped when he realized he couldn't walk in the daylight. He couldn't take the chance of anybody seeing him. It would cause a paradox, according to Liz and Serena.

He went back into the pod chamber, and the door slid shut behind him, enveloping him in darkness. He wandered aimlessly around the small chamber for several minutes trying to ignore the memories of Liz that assailed his memories. Trying to banish them, he walked over to examine the pods he had ignored up to now, and received the shock of his life. Each pod contained a child.

Max stepped back in shock, trying to make sense of the scene before him. It couldn't be possible, he couldn't have traveled so far back in time. It wasn't possible. He looked again at the four children in stasis in the pods and knew it was true. He had traveled back to Roswell, but before he, Michael, Isabel and Tess had emerged from his pods.

A seed of an idea began to germinate in his mind, but he knew that he would have to find out the exact date before he did anything else. He used his powers to turn his hair blond, his eyes blue, and give himself a beard, and stepped back outside. He started walking down the highway, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. He was hoping he'd find a driver nice enough to pull over. He didn't want a ride; he only wanted to know the date.

The original plan had been for him to convince Liz to make him fall out of love with her and make him turn to Tess. This would keep Tess part of the group – part of the foursquare. But for whatever reason, he overshot his mark and ended up here. Now, he had to do something. Liz had a theory that Tess was the way she was because of how she grew up and who she grew up with. If his plan worked – no, there was no if, it had to work.

It wasn't long before a car pulled up along side of him and slowed down. Max tried to quell the fear that rose up inside of him at the site of the Roswell Sheriff Department vehicle. The window rolled down and a familiar voice called out.

"You okay, son?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Max said, forcing himself not to bodily rip Jim Valenti from the car and hug him. "A few of us are doing some desert camping, and my watch broke. I was just going to hike to the road to see if we could find someone who could tell me what day it was."

Max groaned internally at the lame cover story he came up with. If it had been anyone but Jim Valenti to stop, he would have been fine, but seeing the Sheriff again really threw him. The last time he had seen Jim, it was with a blast hole in his back, his arms wrapped around what was left of Kyle's body.

"Camping, huh?" questioned the Sheriff. "That's it?"

"Yes sir, that's it, I promise. No drugs or anything," said Max.

"I believe you," said Jim. "It's Saturday, January 16th," said the Sheriff."

"Thanks Sheriff," said Max.

"No, thank you for the promotion," said Jim. "I'm Deputy Jim Valenti."

"Oh, sorry, uh, Deputy," said Max. He paused for a second, trying to figure out what year it was. He didn't want to ask and arouse the Sheriff's suspicion, but he _had_ to know the year. "Well, uh, thanks again," Max said.

"No problem," said Jim. "If you need anything else, just stop by the Sheriff's department and ask for Jim Valenti."

"Great, thanks," said Max, his eyes scanning the interior of the car. "Hey, uh, Deputy Valenti, do you have a newspaper or anything?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," said Jim. "It's yesterdays, but I suppose if you've been out camping for a bit, even old news is better than no news. Here you go."

"Thanks again," said Max. "Have a great day."

Max watched until the Sheriff's car was out of site, trying to quell the feeling of loss that welled up inside of him. Jim was the first adult they ever trusted, and it hurt when he died. Max had pushed all those feelings down deep inside, and seeing Jim brought them all back to the surface again. Scanning the newspaper while he walked, he headed back to the pod chamber.

Once inside, he began to work, feverishly. Using his powers, he erased the newsprint on several pages of the newspaper. Using the stump of a pencil he found lodged in his pocket, he began to scribble a message to his future self. When the message was complete, he fastened it to the rock wall, using his powers to drive the pencil into the rock. 

The next part of the plan was risky. He didn't know if he should do it. Would it cause the paradox Liz and Serena had cautioned him about. He didn't see how it would, but still – physics wasn't his forte, and his lack of knowledge made him hesitant to continue.

My younger self shouldn't recognize me, so I should be safe, he mused. But do I do it myself, or wait for it to happen. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Max sat down on the ground, opposite the pods and began his vigil. Besides, if a paradox did happen, and he and his younger self ceased to exist, it would change the future anyhow. He had no choice he had to try.

It wasn't long until he saw some signs of movement in three of the pods. He watched in amazement as a tear appeared in his pod and a small hand emerged. There was a gush of fluid, and his younger self crawled out awake from his forty-year plus stasis. There was a look of fear in they eyes of the child that would become him, a fear Max remembered too well.

Taking a chance, Max moved, slowly and carefully, drawing the attention of his younger self. He held his breath; afraid of what would happen if the paradox Liz had warned him about occurred. He sighed with relief when nothing happened, and moved slowly and carefully toward the frightened child.

Max quickly shrugged off the shirt he was wearing and used it to wipe the shivering child down, trying to sooth him with his hands, since communication was impossible. The child relaxed imperceptibly in his grasp, and Max exhaled, unaware that he had, up to know, been holding his breath.

A tearing noise alerted Max to the fact that another one of them was emerging, and he turned his child self in the direction of the pods to watch. Max stepped forward and helped Isabel climb out of her chamber, and young Max rushed over and wrapped his arms around her. Almost immediately, Michael's pod began to tear, and he climbed out, looking very scared.

Young Isabel and Max moved to him and took his hands, and Max felt his breath catch watching this moment of bonding between himself, his sister and his best friend. Realizing that there was no time to lose, Max stepped forward and used his powers to break Tess' pod open. The fluid gushed out, soaking his feet, but Tess didn't move. Afraid that she was hurt, he reached in and pulled her body out and laid it on the ground. He knelt down and pressed his head to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a heart beat.

Max looked up to see his younger self, Isabel, and Michael watching him curiously. He held his hands over Tess' unconscious body and began to use his powers to feel for damage. He found nothing, and had sat back on his heels, unsure of how to proceed when his younger self stepped forward hesitantly and knelt down beside Tess. Mimicking Max's motions, he passed his hands over Tess' body and Max watched in amazement as Tess' eyes fluttered open.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Max smiled. Obviously, these four shared a connection all ready. Now he just had to get them, _all_ of them out on to the road when his parents drove by. Max tried to stand, and promptly fell back to the ground.

"Oh shit," he said out loud, causing stares of wonderment from the four children. "It can't be happening yet. I haven't changed things enough!" Max focused with every ounce of energy he had, trying to will his body to not fade from existence. "NO!" he shouted as watched his hand start to disappear, and then suddenly grow firm. He had no idea what happened, but he was thankful that he had a reprieve.

"Okay guys, this is what we're going to do," Max said. "Yeah, I know you can't understand me, or can you?" he wondered.

He stood up and walked carefully over to his young self, reached out and touched his face, forcing a connection between the two of them. He tried to let his other self see into the future. Seeming to understand, young Max stood quietly, trying to comprehend the strange things he was seeing, and in turn, Max was able to view some of memories of their other life that his younger self still had access to.

Young Max held out a hand, and Isabel reached out to take it. She in turn held out a hand to Michael who held Tess' hand in his, and a connection between the five was formed. He could feel their confusion as they struggled to make sense of a world they knew nothing about. 

When the connection ended, Max stepped back and looked down at the four children. He hoped they understood – he hoped _he_ understood and that he was doing the right thing. He felt reassured when Isabel released Michael's hand and took his. The gesture was so comforting, and so like his sister, that he felt reassured.

Certain that he was making the right decision, Max opened the door and lead the others to the outside world. It was difficult, traveling in the dark, across Pullman Ranch with for naked children, but he pressed on. They didn't know it, but they had a date to meet their future parents, because Max had no doubt that if Philip and Diane Evans found all four children on the road later that night, they'd open their hearts and their home to all of them, and not just Max and Isabel.

They waited, hidden from sight until Max saw the Evans car approach. He shot a small burst of energy at the car, causing it to stall. He watched as his father coasted the car to the side of the road. When Philip Evens stepped out of the car, Max gave the four children a small nudge and sent them out of the shadows, toward the car.

He ducked out of sight and watched as Philip turned his head toward the approaching footsteps. The last thing he saw before he faded from existence was Diane Evans climb from the car and gather the four children in her arms in a welcoming hug.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Diane Evans smiled as she made a final check of the house. She paused to straighten a throw rug that was kicked to one side of the room. She'd rather have her houseful of children and be constantly cleaning and straightening instead of the sterile childfree environment in which she and Philip used to live.

After four miscarriages, she had given up on ever having a family, until the night she found those four wonderful gifts from God that now slept in their home. She opened the door on what she now called the girl's room and looked inside. A splash of light from the hallway illuminated the room, and the two young girls that now resided inside.

Diane felt her heart catch as she gazed down at the two blond heads resting in the hastily purchased twin beds. She walked in quietly and gently pulled the covers up over the one they had decided to call Tess. Well, they hadn't really decided, she amended to herself. All four of the children, even though they spoke no English, managed to give close approximations of American names. And so they were named, Tess, Isabel, Michael and Max.

"Mama," Tess whispered in her sleep.

Diane reached a hand down and brushed a golden curl away from the child's face. She was so beautiful, and wanted to be loved so desperately. She clung to Diane almost constantly, and failing that, she needed to be with one of the other children at all times.

Isabel on the other hand, was independent, but seemed to have a burning inner desire to please them. She struggled to master everything they taught her. It was as if she craved their approval and their acceptance.

Diane adjusted the covers over Isabel and smiled down at the child. So young, and yet she carried herself with the regal bearing of someone who had been born into royalty. She was like a little princess. 

Closing the door softly, Diane moved down the hall and opened the door to the room the boys shared. Already it bore the mark of their two distinct personalities. The little boy who named himself Max kept his belongings very tidy, while the other little boy, Michael, had his things flung all over the room. Not that Diane minded, she enjoyed knowing that little Michael was comfortable enough with them to be himself.

Max was an enigma however. Many times, he just sat and watched, like he was looking for something, or for someone. Diane wasn't sure who or what it was. Maybe it was the person who abandoned them so callously in the desert. What she did know was these children these poor abandoned children would never feel lost or alone again.

Diane reached down and picked up the small stuffed rabbit that Michael had become attached to, and slipped it back into the bed with him, and kissed him lightly on the forehead. She gave Max's cheek a quick caress and stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Are they still there?" Philip asked, half jokingly when she joined him in the living room. He, like Diane was afraid that they would disappear from their lives as quickly as they had joined them. 

"Yes, they're still there, and sleeping like little angels. Philip, we have to be able to keep them. Isn't there something you can do; some strings you can pull?"

"Social Services consented to them staying with us," said Philip. "I really think we should just petition to become their foster parents." 

"No!" Diane said. "Not foster parents. We are their parents Philip. We were meant to watch over them. I want to adopt them."

"All four of them?" Philip said, dubiously. "That's an mighty big undertaking."

"Philip, we agreed we wanted a big family when we got married. I've already had four miscarriages. Can't you see what I see? To me, those four children are the children we lost. There was a reason why we found them."

The doorbell rang, and Philip jumped up to answer it rather than address the issues Diane had brought up. He was afraid she was going to get her heart broken if she let herself get too attached to these kids. He didn't really think Social Services would let them adopt all four of the kids. He opened to door to find Deputy Jim Valenti standing on the other side, holding his hat in his hand.

"Evening, Mr. Evans," the deputy said.

"Deputy," said Philip, inclining his head, slightly. "Is this an official visit?"

"Yes and no," said Jim. "May I come in?"

"I'm sorry, of course. Come on in, would you care for some coffee?" Philip asked, trying to sound unconcerned. Faced with someone from the Sheriff's Department standing in front of him, he started to realize just how much those four children had come to mean to him. 

"No, thanks, I'm good. Evening, Mrs. Evans," said Jim. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just have a couple of questions for you."

"About the kids?" Diane asked, her heart sinking.

"How are they doing?" Jim asked. "Any problems settling in?"

"No, not really," said Diane, smiling. "They're great kids." 

"Good, good, that's good," said the deputy. "Now, I know you've been asked all these questions, and I apologize for asking again, but I've got another angle I'm working on. The night you found them, you weren't to far from the Pullman Ranch, correct?"

"That's right," said Philip.

"And you didn't see _anybody_ else around?"

"No, Deputy, of course we didn't. If we had, we would have reported it right away," said Diane.

"I know, I didn't mean to imply that you wouldn't," said Jim. "But earlier that day, I was out that way, and I came across a man walking on the side of the road. I had our sketch artist draw a picture of him, and I was wondering if you'd take a look at it, on the off chance that you recognized him."

Jim reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He passed it first to Philip, and then Diane and gave them a chance to examine it.

"No, I'm sorry," Diane said after they had both viewed the picture. "I'm afraid we haven't."

"How about this one?" asked Jim, pulling out another paper. "It's the same guy, but I had the artist try and draw him without the beard."

"You know, he reminds me of someone," said Diane, "But I can't put my finger on it. Do you mind if I keep this?" she added holding up the sketch of the beardless man.

"Sure thing," said Jim. "It's just a copy anyhow. But if you remember anything, please contact me."

"We will," said Philip. "Deputy, do you think this man had anything to do with the children?"

"I don't know," said the deputy, rising to leave. "But if he did, we'll find him."

"Deputy," Diane said, putting a hand out to stop him. "You work within _the system._ Can you think of anything that would help us to adopt these kids. We love them already, and all we want to do is give them a good home."

Jim looked at Diane, and saw the longing and desperation in her eyes, and his heart went out to her.

"I may be able to help," Jim said. "Let me call a few people and see what I can do."

"Thank you, Deputy Valenti, and I'm sorry we weren't more help." 

Philip Evans stood up and walked to the door with the deputy.

"I really would appreciate anything you could do to help us with the kids," he said to Jim. "Diane and I have both already grown very attached to them."

"Like I said, I'll see what I can do," said the Deputy. "Chances are, Social Services will jump at a chance to have them all placed together."

"Thanks, Deputy, I really appreciate it."

"Thank you again for your time, Mr. Evans. I appreciate it, and I'll get back to you if I can do anything with Social Services."

Three weeks later the phone in Philips office rang, and he answered it absentmindedly, his thoughts on the law brief in front of him. 

"Philip Evans."

"Philip! Philip! It happened! They're ours, the kids are ours!" Diane's voice shouted over the phone. Oh God, Philip, they're ours. Social Services agreed to our petition. We just have to go to court and a few other formalities."

"Formalities, what formalities?" asked Philip.

"Well, an official home study, and the kids need physicals, and they want to try and to some academic assessments on them to see what grades they should be in."

"Sounds good," Philip said, smiling in relief. "When does the process start?"

"Well, actually, I think our new friend Deputy Valenti pulled some real strings," said Diane. "Someone from Child and Family Services is going to come by today for the first visit. Oh Philip, I can't believe it. They're going to be ours."

"Well, Mrs. Evans, this is totally off the record, but I can't see any reason why you and Mr. Evans shouldn't be awarded custody of these four children," said Mrs. Longworth, the social worker. "They seem remarkably well adjusted, especially when you consider what they've gone through. I'm sure that can only be contributed to the sense of security you and your husband have given them."

"Oh, I'm so glad, Mrs. Longworth," Diane said. "We've already grown to love them so much."

"Yes, that is obvious. Well, the home environment is suitable, and we will have to have several more visits here, but everything seems to be in order. I hope you don't mind, but Child and Family Services thought it would be best if the preliminary physicals were done here at home, so I arranged for one of our physicians to come out. We thought, given all they've had to deal with, it would be less stressful for the children if the exams were done here."

"No, no, of course not," said Diane. "That makes so much sense. When will he be here?"

"Any second," said the social worker. "We'll get the preliminaries out of the way and you can schedule office visits at your convenience."

"Thank you, Mrs. Longworth, you are being so helpful," said Diane. 

"Diane, honey?" a voice called. "I had some free time so I decided to swing by and see you and the kids."

"Oh, Philip's home," said Diane. "We're in here, Philip."

Mrs. Longworth watched as Philip entered the room, and the two girls ran up two him. Philip knelt down and opened his arms wide and scooped both girls up for hugs. The two boys hung back a bit, but this didn't appear to bother Philip. He set the girls down and reached out and tousled Michael's hair and patted Max on the shoulders.

"Hi guys," he said. "You keeping an eye on our little girls?" He paused for an answer, even though he knew one was not forthcoming - something that did not go unnoticed by the social worker. She was pleased to see the potential for interaction between the father and the children.

"Philip, this is Mrs. Longworth from Child and Family Services. She's going to be our caseworker."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Evans," Mrs. Longworth said. "I was just telling Mrs. Evans that the office is sending over a physician to perform physicals on the children. We felt it would possibly be traumatic to them if they were to go to the doctor's office at this stage."

"That's very thoughtful of you," said Philip. "It's good to know we all have the children's welfare at heart. I'm just going to go and grab a quick sandwich, if you don't mind. Can I bring anybody anything?"

Both adults demurred and Philip went to the kitchen. He returned quickly carrying a tray with five glasses of milk, several sandwiches, some fruit, cheese and crackers.

Looking a bit sheepish at the quantity of food, he smiled. "I thought the kids might want a snack," he said, placing the tray on the coffee table. He gave each of the children a glass of milk, carefully enunciating the words. In between bites of his sandwich, he gave the children different foods to try, telling them the names of each food product, stopping only when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he said, jumping up. He walked quickly to the door and opened it revealing the CFS doctor on the other side. Philip escorted the doctor to the living room and moved quickly to Diane's side to see what would happen next.

At first, things appeared to go smoothly, as the doctor took the heights and weights of the children. Isabel was afraid of the blood pressure cuff and had to be coaxed into allowing it on her arm, and Michael wanted _nothing_ to do with the thermometer the doctor carried. It was only after Philip and Diane both had their temperatures taken did he allow the doctor near him. But when the doctor took out four vials and lancets to do blood tests, chaos ensued.

Max took one look at the doctor's equipment and began to scream. He kept pointing at the lancets and vials and shaking his head. The other three children quickly picked up on Max's fears and began to cry as well. The doctor reached out to try and grab Michael, who let out with a tremendous shout and caused all the glasses on the table to fall over.

Diane reacted quickly. She grabbed a blanket off of the chair and tossed it over the spilled milk to try and absorb it, and focused her attention on the children. She and Philip each took two children in their arms and hugged them, trying to calm them down.

Mrs. Longworth quickly stepped in and urged the doctor to pack the vials and took charge of cleaning up the mess. It pleased her to no end to see that the Evans' chose to focus their attention on the children, rather than the spilled milk. It spoke volumes for their parenting skills.

"I think we'll hold off on the blood work for now," she said to the adults in the room. "The children are obviously very afraid of the idea, and I don't see any sense in getting them anymore worked up. Mr. and Mrs. Evans, we'll be in touch about the next home visit. And maybe when the children are more comfortable and secure, your family physician can finish up their medical exams.

"Thank you, Mrs. Longworth," Diane said over Michael's cries.

"I'll show myself and the doctor out," the social worker continued. "And I'll be in touch."

Diane and Philip made their brief goodbyes, their attention focused on the children. Once the doctor was out of sight, their screams began to lessen, until finally they were all sniffling intermittently with an occasional sob. They lined the four children up on the sofa and finished cleaning up the mess. Philip carried the sodden blanket to the kitchen, and Diane followed carrying the tray with the glasses and the remains of the food.

With the adults out of the room, Max looked at Michael and shook his head. 

"The needles are bad," he said to Michael in Antarian. "I don't know why, but when that man showed me the pictures in my head, one of the pictures was of him being afraid of the needles and the blood. We have to stay away from them."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"I don't want to go," the young boy said, hanging back at the door. "Why can't we just stay here?"

"Well, I can take you, if you want, sweetie, but you have to go. It's time. You really need to be around children your own age," Diane Evans said, her voice calm and reasonable.

"I'm around Michael, Isabel and Tess. Their my age," said Max, logically. "Why can't we just be by ourselves?"

"Because Max, you need to go to school. Honestly, honey, you're too smart for me to keep home schooling you. I can't keep up with any of you."

"It'll be okay, Max," Michael said, his face set in a mask of resignation. "We'll be okay; we have each other."

"That's right," Diane said, patting Michael on the head. "You have each other, and I'm sure you'll make all kinds of friends." 

Michael squirmed a bit at Diane's praise. He wasn't comfortable having any type of attention focused on him, but he loved the woman who took them in, so he forced himself to not pull away from her touch.

"Do you kids want me to drive you?" Diane asked. If the truth were told, she was very anxious to drive the kids to school, but she wanted the choice to be theirs.

"We'll take the bus, Mom," Isabel said. "We know you have a lot to do today."

"You'll be here if we need you though, right?" Tess asked, tugging at Diane's arm. "I mean, if something happens or something?" 

"Tess, baby, don't worry, nothing's going to happen, but yes, I'll be home all day in case anybody needs me. Okay?" She smoothed the curls of the little girl and gave her a quick cuddle. Tess more than all the others seemed to crave physical contact, and Diane was more than happy to oblige.

"Look, here comes the bus," she said, pointing down the street. "Does everybody have everything? Do you have your lunches?"

"We're all set, Mom, don't worry," said Max, though his eyes clearly showed that he _was_ worried. "We'll be fine."

Squaring his little shoulders, Max marched, there was no other word for it, out the door like a prisoner on his way to his execution. One by one, the others took a deep breath and followed their leader to what was for them, certain doom.

Diane watched from the doorway, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched her babies board that big yellow bus for the first time. Michael hung back, allowing the others to board first, and turned toward the house for one final surreptitious wave. The look of fear on his face was so intense that Diane had all she could do to not run out there and drag him, and the others off of the bus.

Instead, she waited until the bus turned the corner before she grabbed her keys and dashed out of the house. She climbed into her car and backed out of the driveway and followed the path set by the bus. She followed at a safe distance, following the bus as it stopped to pick up the students and bring them to school. She wished she could be on the bus to see if her babies were okay. Were the other children welcoming them, ignoring them or worse, ridiculing them.

She loved her children, but they were different than other children. Not all the time, but sometimes, she'd watch them when they didn't know anybody was looking, and there was something about them. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was there. She only hoped the other children didn't pick up on it and ostracize them.

Diane pulled to the side of the street and watched as the bus pulled into the elementary school. She climbed out of the car and stood beside it, shading her eyes with her hand as she struggled to catch sight of her kids. She sighed with relief when she saw Max step off the bus, with Isabel and the others trailing behind. He paused and surveyed the playground, looking for all the world like a king, surveying his dominion.

Max stepped off of the bus, trying hard to contain his fear. He wanted nothing more than to stay on the bus, and force the driver to bring him back to the security of home. But that wasn't an option, and he knew it. To do so would draw attention to them, and he knew that was a bad thing. The most important thing they could do was blend in. 

"Come on," said Isabel. "We look stupid just standing here. Let's go over there and play or something.'

"You go ahead," said Max, his attention captured by a small figure across the playground. "I'll be right over. Michael, take care of Tessie and Isabel. I just want to look around."

"Okay Max, but be careful," said Michael.

The other three ran off to the swings, while Max stood and stared across the playground at the figure of a small little girl. She had dark hair and was playing rock, paper, scissors with another little girl with long blond hair. He didn't know who she was, but he couldn't help but feel that she was going to be important to him later on. 

The bell rang, and the children scurried to line up – all except the four Evans children who didn't know what to do, or where to go. 

"Are you lost?" a voice asked. Michael spun around and stared at the petite blond who stood beside him.

"No!" he said, belligerently. "I'm not lost."

"Are you sure you're not lost?" she asked again. "Because you look like your lost."

"I'm not lost," Michael said. "I – uh, I just don't know where to go," he finally admitted.

"Is this your first day?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," Michael admitted. It is."

"You need to go to the office. See that tall lady over there, that's Mrs. Nelson. Tell her you're new. She'll tell you what to do." 

"Maria! Maria, come on!" a voice called.

"I gotta go," the girl said. "Coming, Liz!"

Michael watched as the small blond ran off. She was bossy, and nosy, but deep down, he was glad of her help.

"We need to go tell that lady we're new," he said to Isabel and Tess. "Let's go get Max."

"You're not the boss of me, Michael Evans," Isabel said. "How do you know we have to go tell that lady we're new?"

"That girl over there told me," Michael said, pointing to the retreating figure of Maria.

"Right, like she looks like she even knows what she's talking about," Isabel said. "Let's just wait here and see what Max says." 

"Please, don't fight," pleaded Tess. "I hate it when we fight."

"You do what you want," Michael said to Isabel. "I'm going to go tell that lady I'm new and don't know where to go."

Michael started to walk toward the woman when Max finally joined them. 

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think we should go tell that lady we're new and don't know where to go," said Michael. "Isabel thinks we need to wait for you to tell us what to do. Tess just doesn't want us to fight," he added with disgust.

"Michael, we can't just go and start bothering people," said Michael. "Maybe we should just wait here."

"But that girl said we should," said Michael, pointing to the small blond girl walking into the school. She paused at the entrance and looked back and waved and pointed to the duty teacher one last time. 

"Oh. I guess if someone said we should do it, we probably should," said Max, looking relieved. Michael's ideas didn't always work out they way he'd planned. But if this were someone else's idea, maybe it would be okay. Summoning his courage, he walked over to the teacher.

"I'm Max Evans, and this is Michael, Isabel and Tess," he said. "We're new and we don't know where to go."

"Well, come on then," said the teacher. "I'm Mrs. Nelson. I'll just take you into the office and get you settled. Didn't your mom come with you?"

"She wanted to," said Isabel, but we knew we could do this. She came over yesterday and," she paused, not sure what it was her mother had actually done at the school yesterday.

"Registered you?" asked Mrs. Nelson. She scanned the street and saw Diane Evans watching anxiously from the curb. She gave a casual wave to let Diane know that everything was fine, but not alert the children that their mother was right there. "That's fine, come on into the office and we'll get you all taken care of. I'm sure you're going to love Roswell Elementary School."

Within an hour, the children were settled in their new classrooms. Not the original classrooms that the principal had assigned. At first, she had chosen to split the children up based upon their estimated age and academic ability, but the smallest girl, Tess, had cried so much at the thought of being separated, she decided to rethink her original plan. She put the two boys in one of the third grade classrooms, and the two girls in another, even though academically, the taller girl, Isabel was academically more advanced.

She wished now that she had just gone along with the mother's wishes to have the children placed together, but she felt strongly that siblings should not be together in an academic setting. Too often, it led to hard feelings. But she cared about children, and knew when to put her personal beliefs aside; this was one of those times. Picking up the phone, she quickly dialed the Evans home. Getting no answer, she left a message on the machine.

"Mrs. Evans, this is Sarah Carpenter, the principal at Roswell Elementary. I just wanted to let you know that we did end up putting Max and Michael in the same classroom, and Isabel and Tess are together. Tess seemed especially distraught at the thought of being separated, so we decided to err on the side of caution and keep them together. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, and again, we welcome you and your family to Roswell Elementary School."

He pressed the button on the answering machine and rewound the message. Things were not going according to plan. He needed those kids. If he didn't have those kids, everything would be lost, and he'd be stuck on this God forsaken planet forever.

But, he wasn't stupid, and one thing he knew how to do was wait. He'd been waiting for over fifty years; he could wait a few more to get what he wanted.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Isabel, are you awake?" Tess asked.

"I am now, Tess. What's the matter?" Isabel asked. She rolled over in bed and propped herself up on one elbow to look at her sister. "Bad dreams?"

"Not bad, just weird," Tess said.

"Which one was it?" Isabel asked. All of them suffered from the occasional bad dreams, but Tess more than the others seemed to be plagued by a series of nightmares with an abandonment theme.

"It was the one where I'm fighting to get out of this gooey, sticky thing, and the three of you are just watching," Tess said. "I was so afraid that you'd leave me, but then that big monster came and pulled me out of the goo and sent me with you."

"Well, if he helped you, he couldn't be a monster, could he?" Isabel asked, reasonably.

"I know, it's just weird," said Tess. "Why do I keep having these dreams, but you guys don't?"

"Want me to see if I can figure it out?" Isabel asked. She had recently figured out how to visit people in their dreams and she was anxious to practice her new skill.

"That's another thing, Isabel. Who are we, really, and why can we do the things we do. Other people can't, it's not normal."

"I don't know, Tess," Isabel said. She climbed off of her bed and crossed the short distance to go sit on Tess' bed. She hugged the smaller girl tightly. "I know we can't just be regular kids," she continued. "You're right, regular people can't do the things we do."

"But don't you want to know who we are, and where we really come from?" Tess asked.

"What is it with you and Michael?" Isabel asked. "You're always so concerned about where we came from, and who we are. Mom and Dad are great. Can't you just be happy knowing they love us?" Isabel asked. "Now come on, let's get some sleep. School starts tomorrow."

"I don't want to go to school," Tess said, her stomach clenching in a familiar knot. "What if I'm not in class with you guys?" 

"Tessie, it will be okay," Isabel said. "Fifth grade is going to be great. We're in _middle school_ now. That's practically _high school_. Now let's get some sleep, and tomorrow night, I'll visit your dream and see if we can figure anything out."

"Thanks Isabel. I'm glad you're my sister," Tess said.

Isabel jumped off the bed and quickly climbed into her own, and pulled the covers up around her. She smoothed them out perfectly, and made sure that the stuffed animals she slept with were arranged just right. She glanced over at her nightstand to make sure her alarm clock was set, and facing in the right direction. She leaned over and rearranged the box of tissues and her glass of water. Satisfied that everything was arranged perfectly, she finally lay back down and drifted off to sleep.

Tess looked over at her sister, jealous of her ability to just drift off to sleep without any hesitation. Tess wished she could, but she was afraid. Not only of the monster who pulled her from the sticky goo, but from the other dreams – the ones about war.

"Hey Max, you ready?" Michael asked. "Mom's got breakfast on the table."

"Oh," Max said, sounding thoroughly disgusted. "I love mom, I really do, but she is the worst cook in the world."

"Yeah, I know," Michael said, glumly. "But," he added, brightening a little, "It's been better since she went back to work, lots of take out. Even Mom can't mess that up."

"Yeah, but we still have to get through breakfast," said Max. "Let's go face the firing squad."

The two boys walked down the short hallway to the kitchen to be greeted by the sight of Isabel removing waffles from the toaster. Max's eyes shifted from the stack of crisp steaming waffles on the plate to the yellow waffle box on the counter. He nudged Michael and smiled. 

"How'd that happen?" he asked Isabel, happily helping himself to several of the waffles.

"Tess convinced mom it would be quicker and easier if we got our own breakfast in the morning. That way she could get ready for work," Isabel said, smiling happily.

"Good going, Tessie!" Michael said.

"Thanks, _Mikey._" Tess shot back.

"Don't call me Mikey!"

"Well then don't call me Tessie," Tess said. "My name is Ava." 

The other three exploded with laughter, while Tess sat there with a shocked look in her face.

"That's funny, Tess," said Max, not unkindly. "Good joke."

"I don't think I was joking," Tess said, her face a mask of confusion. "I think my name used to be Ava."

Max and Michael laughed, still thinking Tess was teasing them, but Isabel looked thoughtful. She wondered if this tied into Tess' nightmares in some way.

"Come on, kids," Diane Evans said hurrying into the kitchen. She had a bag tucked under her arm and was fastening an earring as she spoke. "You don't want to miss the bus, do you?"

"Don't worry, Mom, everything's fine," said Max. "We ate, and we'll put our stuff in the dishwasher. Just go to work, we'll be okay." 

"I don't know," Diane worried out loud. "I'm your mother, I should be here for you."

"Mom, you are here for us," said Isabel. "Millions of moms in America work, and their kids survive without any problems. We can too." 

"I know, I just feel bad," said Diane.

"Don't, Mom," Michael said. "We'll be fine. You go to work, and we'll come right home after school, just like you told us."

"And we'll lock the door behind us," said Max.

"And we'll call you right away," said Tess.

"But if the phone rings, we won't answer it," finished Isabel. 

"Okay, okay, I concede," laughed Diane. "You can handle this. I'm sorry for being such a worry wart."

"Don't be sorry, Mom, that's your job," said Max.

"You are too sweet," Diane said, kissing Max on the cheek. "You all are. Now, I love you, and remember to call when you get in from school."

"We will, Mom," Isabel said. She handed Diane her purse and they all watched as she rushed out the door.

"My waffles are cold," Michael complained after Diane had pulled away. 

"Well, heat them up," Tess said.

"I am," said Michael. "Watch this."

He held his hand over the waffles and within seconds, they were again warm and crispy.

"Hey, that's cool, how'd you do that?" Tess asked.

"I just think about it, and it happens," said Michael.

"Cool, I want to try!" Tess cried.

"Me too!" said Isabel, and within seconds, both of them had heated their waffles.

"Stop it!" Max yelled. "We shouldn't be doing this. If anybody saw us, we could get in trouble. We have to hide stuff like this." 

"Oh, come on Max," Isabel said, her voice disparaging. "We're only playing."

"Yeah well, we have to go get the bus," said Max. "So hurry up." 

The four kids quickly ate their waffles, grabbed their belongings and walked out the door just as the bus was pulling up in front of their house. They dashed across the lawn and climbed on, ready to start a new year at school.

The teacher stood at the front of the room, droning on about the joys of middle school and the many opportunities that were available to them. Michael drummed pencil quietly against the desk while the teacher droned on. He shifted in his seat and poked Max in the back, trying to get his attention.

Max turned around and glared and turned back and focused all his attention on the teacher. Michael sighed with boredom and tried this time to get Isabel or Tess to turn around. Because homerooms were set up alphabetically, all four Evans children were in the together. 

"And these are your class schedules," the teacher droned on, dropping slips of paper on their desks. "Now I know from experience, you're about to ignore everything I say while you compare schedules, so I'm going to give you five minutes, and then I want your full attention again."

Michael glanced with disinterest at the paper lying on his desk. He couldn't care less about what classes he had, but he knew the others would care, so he picked it up and feigned interest. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn, but he'd much rather be _doing_ things. Knowing that there was no point in delaying the inevitable, he asked Max, "So, who do you have for Language Arts?"

"It doesn't matter," said Max. "We have a bigger problem." He pointed to Isabel who was doing her best to comfort a very distraught Tess.

"It will be okay, Tess. We'll all still have lunch together every day," she said.

"I-I know," Tess sniffed. "It's just weird. I mean, we've been together forever, and"

"And we always will be," Michael said, firmly. "Don't worry, Tess, we take care of each other."

"Th-thanks, Michael," Tess said. "I'm sorry I'm such a whiney baby." 

"You're not a whiney baby, Tess," Max said. "Now, let's look at your schedule." He reached out and grabbed the now mutilated paper from Tess and compared it to his own. Okay, see, we have science together."

"Yeah, and you're in my social studies and math classes," said Michael. 

"And we have language arts together," Isabel chimed in. "And we all have lunch together, so it's not too bad. You're on your own for music and gym."

"Thanks guys," Tess said. "You're all probably so sick of me." 

"We're family, Tess," Max said, firmly. "We stick together."

The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom, and the four stood and joined the masses streaming towards the door.

"Come on, we have science first today," said Max, gently propelling Tess down the hall.

Together they walked into the room and sat down and watched the other students enter the room, their faces displaying varying degrees of nervousness.

Beside her, Tess felt Max stiffen, and she saw Liz Parker walk through the door followed by a tall skinny boy with short dark hair. She looked out of the corner of her eye and watched Max watch Liz, and tried not to laugh. Her brother was so obvious. He'd had a crush on Liz since forever.

The teacher quickly brought the class under control and took attendance. Tess sighed with relief, most of the faces were familiar, except for the boy that had walked in with Liz. During roll call, she learned his name was Alex Whitman, and he had just moved to Roswell.

When class was over, Tess said goodbye to Max and prepared to make her way down to the music room. She was grateful that her parents had brought them over to the school several times to take advantage of the tours for new students. She felt confidant she could find the music department without any problems.

"Excuse me," a voice behind her said. "Do you know where the music room is?"

"Uh, yeah," Tess said. "Oh, your that new guy, Al, right?" 

"Actually, it's Alex, and yeah, I'm new," he said.

"Well come on, Alex," Tess said, feeling cheerful all of a sudden. "The music room is this way."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Are you sure you want to try this?" Isabel asked again. She and Tess had been working every night, trying to solve the mystery of her nightmares, and while Isabel's ability to move through the dream world had grown, they were unable to access Tess' nightmares. 

"Oh, why bother," Tess said. "It's not going to work anyhow. Let's just go to sleep." She flopped back against the pillows in frustration and shut her eyes. "Good night, Isabel."

"Fine, good night, Tess," Isabel said. She was frustrated. She knew she could find the answers to Tess' nightmares. They just had to keep trying. And they would, she decided – just as soon as Tess fell asleep. It didn't take long before Isabel heard the slow even breathing that signaled her that Tess was asleep. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a picture of herself and Tess playing in the back yard.

_Isabel followed Tess down the crowded halls of Roswell Middle School. Tess was laughing and joking with a group of kids, and Isabel smiled, happy to see her sister feeling so comfortable and secure. One by one, the kids drifted away to the different classrooms until only one other person was left. Isabel looked at him carefully, trying to place him, but she couldn't, it wasn't until Tess spoke that she realized who the boy was. ___

_"Thanks for your help with the piece, Alex," Tess said. "No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get the rhythm." ___

_"You try to hard, Tess. You play well, but don't worry about being perfect, just enjoy the music." ___

_"Hey, are you two coming?" a voice yelled. ___

_Isabel looked past Tess and Alex and saw a small blond girl at the end of the hall. She came closer, and Isabel realized that it was Maria, the girl who had approached Michael on their first day at Roswell Elementary. ___

_"Come on," the girl yelled. "We're waiting for you!" ___

_Isabel watched, smiling as the three ran down the hall, smiling._

Isabel pulled herself out of Tess' dream. There wasn't anything useful there, other than the fact that it looked like Tess was making friends; weird friends to be sure - but friends never the less. Though there was something about that boy Alex. She wasn't sure what it was, but when she looked at him, she felt safe and secure. 

Her exploration of Tess' dreams over for the night, she began her nightly ritual of arranging the items on her nightstand. It was silly, she knew, but she never slept as well knowing that her things were out of order. Fixing her covers so they were just so, Isabel slid down underneath them without putting so much as a wrinkle or crease in them. Satisfied, she gave them one last pat to smooth them out and drifted off to sleep.

"Isabel, Tess, it's time to get up," Diane Evans whispered softly. She brushed a strand of hair away from Isabel's face as she quietly woke her daughter up. She still couldn't believe, even after two years, that these wonderful children were hers and Phillips. "Girls, wake up, I have to go to work early today, and I want to make sure you're awake before I leave."

A sleep fogged Isabel raised her head from the pillow and looked at her other blearily.

"Why do you have to go in early, Mom? I mean, you work with Dad, what's he going to do, fire you?"

"I'm going in early, because I'm leaving early to take the four of you for physicals," Diane said, gently. She knew the four of them had an inexplicable fear of anyone in the medical profession.

"Why?" Tess asked, completely wide away, her eyes wide with fear. "We're not sick."

"Because to go to school, you need to have physicals, and they need to make sure you've had all your immunizations," Diane explained. "The school has been really lax about letting the four of you slip through because of your circumstances, but we can't put it off any longer. And so, I'm getting you dismissed from school today, and you're getting your physicals."

Tess opened her mouth to protest, but Isabel shook her head imperceptibly behind Diane.

"Okay, Mom," she said instead. "What time."

"That's my girl, well, both my girls," Diane amended. "I'll pick you up around 2:00 p.m. The boys already know. Now don't forget your lunches, okay?" She kissed both girls on the forehead.

"I love you both.

"Love you too, Mom," said Isabel.

"I love you too, Mom," echoed Tess.

Both girls waited until they heard the front door close and the car leave the driveway before they allowed panic to set in.

"What are we going to do?" Tess asked.

"I- I don't know. We'd better check with Max," said Isabel. She jerked open the bedroom door and screamed when she saw Max and Michael standing on the other side.

"Come on, we have to leave," Michael said.

"Michael, we're not leaving," Max said, trying to remain calm.

"Well we can't stay. You're the one who keeps telling us how important it is to stay away from needles and stuff."

"I know," Max cried, his voice full of frustration. "I don't even know why. I just know we're not supposed to let anybody find out about us."

"It's too bad we couldn't make them think we had those stupid shots and tests and stuff," said Isabel.

"We can," Tess said, suddenly. "Or I can. I- well, I can make people think things and see things."

"You can not," said Michael.

"I can too," Tess retorted. "Just because you can't doesn't mean I can't! You're just a big jerk, Michael Evans."

"Tess, don't make things worse," said Max. "We have to figure out what we're…"

"Ah, ah!" Michael shouted. "Snakes, there are snakes everywhere. Max, do you see them?"

Max and Isabel looked around the room, confused, while Tess smothered a giggle.

"There aren't any snakes here," said Max. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked suddenly while Michael continued to shout. "Who let you into our house?"

"Max, who are you talking to?" Isabel asked. "Hey, why are all my socks hanging out of my drawer? Tess did you do that?"

Finally, Tess couldn't stand it any longer and she exploded with laughter. When she did, the snakes disappeared, as did Max's stranger, and Isabel's drawers returned to their normal pristine state.

"Still think I can't do it?" Tess asked.

"Tess, that is _so_ cool," said Isabel. "How did you learn how to do that?"

"I don't know," Tess admitted. "Remember a few weeks ago when mom made that really horrible dinner?"

"Which one," said Michael. "Most of mom's dinners are really horrible."

"The really bad one with the peppers and the olives," said Tess. "Anyhow, it doesn't matter. I was just sitting there wishing there was some way I could just make it disappear so mom would think I ate it. The next thing I knew, mom was taking away my plate and telling me how happy she was that I had eaten all my dinner." 

"You couldn't have done that for us, too?" Michael asked, still fuming over the snakes Tess had made.

"You were already done," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Anyhow, it doesn't matter. I can do it, now we just have to figure out a way to use it."

"This is cool," said Max. "Let me think about it for a while. I'll have a plan by lunch. Now let's get ready for school."

"Hey," Michael said as the two boys returned to their room. "What did Tess make you see?"

"Nothing much," Max said, thinking of the dark haired girl he frequently dreamed about. "Just that there was a stranger in the house." 

The four siblings were subdued in school as each of them tried to figure out a way to use Tess' new power to their advantage at the doctor. In fact, Tess was so caught up in ways to use her new power, that she didn't notice the boy crossing the cafeteria carrying a tray loaded with food, until she collided with him. The tray went flying, and Tess fell to the ground, her white shirt covered in ketchup. Laughter rang out in the cafeteria causing Tess' already red face to turn and even deeper shade of red.

"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked, holding out his hand to her

"Yeah, I guess," Tess said, allowing him to help her up. "Except for my shirt."

"I'm really sorry," the boy said.

"No, it was my fault. Look, I have to go try and clean this up," Tess said, trying to get away.

"Hey, Kyle's got a girlfriend!" a voice yelled, and it was the boy's turn to flush with embarrassment.

"Well, as long as you're okay, I gotta go get more food," the boy said. 

Tess watched him retreat back to the food line before making her way out of the cafeteria. She paused only when she heard Isabel calling to her.

"Tess, wait up! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the girl said. "I'm just going to go clean this up."

"I'll come with you," Isabel offered. "I'm better at _cleaning up_ than you are."

Tess agreed, because it was true. Isabel had quickly learned how to keep her clothing in pristine condition using her powers. They walked to the nearest bathroom, talking softly about Max's plan for the afternoon.

"Max thinks it will work best if you sneak in to each of our rooms and do that thing to whoever's in there, and make them think they gave us all the tests or shots or whatever. Max went to the library and got a list of all the immunizations we should have up to now, and he made us copies. We just need to fill them in on the doctors' charts. Can you do it?"

"Do you need to see your sock drawer all messy again?" Tess asked. 

"No, no, that's okay," said Isabel, while she used her powers to remove the ketchup from Tess' shirt "You can do it."

The door banged open, and Isabel quickly pretended to fix her hair in the mirror.

"And then Alex said," a voice said as two people entered the bathroom. 

"Oh, sorry, we didn't know anybody was in here," the girl said.

"Hi, Maria, hi, Liz" Tess said, tentatively. She liked both girls but wasn't sure how to act around them. They always seemed so tight. 

"Hi Tess," Maria said. "Are you staying after for extra band today?" 

"Can't," Tess said, regretfully. "We have doctor's appointments today." 

"Nothing's wrong, is it?" Liz asked quickly. Her brown eyes expressed concern. "Max looks, I mean you all look like you're okay."

"Just physicals," Isabel said, ignoring Liz's slip, but not forgetting it. "Come on, Tess, let's go."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"We need a car," Max said.

"Yeah, great, Max. We can't even drive yet, I can't really see Mom and Dad buying us a car," said Michael. "Besides, what do we need a car for? Mom or Dad is always happy to take us just about anywhere." 

"Last night, Isabel was practicing again," said Max. "This time, she brought me into Tess' dream – well, nightmare actually." 

"Yeah, so, we've all been there before," said Michael. "What does this have to do with your sudden urge to get a car? You just want to take that Liz chic out on a date, don't you?"

"Shut up, Michael, that has nothing to do with it," Max denied while color crept up on his cheeks. If you must know the truth, I remembered something. And besides, it wouldn't hurt for us to be able to go some place where we can practice and learn to control these powers of ours. Last night when you sneezed, you blew up Mom's favorite vase."

"Hey, I can't help it!" Michael shouted as books tumbled off the shelf above his bed. "I'm working on it!"

"See," Max said.

"Jack ass," Michael answered, lobbing a pillow at his brother. "So what did you see in Tessie's dream, anyhow?"

"I wouldn't call her that," said Max. "Remember the snakes? Anyhow, it was just like she's always telling us. The three of us were standing there looking at her in some sort of bubble thing and this big tall guy comes out of nowhere and breaks the bubble open and pulls her out."

"Did he seem scary or anything?" Michael asked.

"No, but we were in a dark place. A cave or something, and I saw him put something on the wall. I wish we could find it."

"Max, get real," Michael said. "Some boogy man from Tess' dream put something on a wall, and you think it really exists?"

"I don't think it's a dream, Michael, I think it's a memory." 

"Max, Michael, come on!" Philip Evans called. "We're ready to head out."

Max groaned, their father had promised to drive all of them to the mall at Isabel's request. He and Michael didn't want to go, but their parents said the girls couldn't go if they didn't go as well. 

"Coming, Dad!" he called, his voice breaking a little bit.

Philip smiled as he watched his two sons gallop out of the house to the family minivan. Puberty had hit the Evans house hard, and along with it, all the afflictions that were typical of that phase in life. The boys' voices were cracked and squeaked so often, Philip never knew whom he was speaking to if he called home. The girls had more mood swings than he thought could happen in one day. _If my mood fluctuated that much,_ he thought to himself, _I'd implode from stress._

"You know the rules," he said, driving down the road. "Stay together, and _nobody_ goes to the bathroom alone."

"Yes, Dad, we know," said Max.

"Humor me, Max. I'm your father," Philip said. He pulled in front of the entrance to the food court and put the car in park. "What time do you want me to pick you up?" he asked.

"Now," Michael grumbled.

"Is five o'clock okay, Dad?" Isabel asked.

"Five is fine, sweetie. "Do you have enough money," Philip added, reaching for his wallet.

"Yeah, Dad, we're good," said Michael, pushing Max out of the van. 

"Shut _up_Michael," Isabel said. "If you want to give us more, Dad, we won't say no."

"Here's another five for each of you to get something to eat," Philip said. "Have a good time, and I'll see you later."

They watched their father drive off and entered the mall. The cool air conditioning made a pleasant change from the oppressive heat outside. 

"Come on," said Tess. "I want to go to the book store."

"Well, I want to go to the sports store," said Michael. "And then that new hobby place. Come on, Max."

Max looked from Michael to Tess, and then to Isabel who was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Come on, Max, you know you don't want to go to the book store, or to look at shoes or whatever dumb thing Isabel wants to do. We can just meet them later."

"Yeah," Max said, brightening at Michael's suggestion. "How about if we just meet you guys in an hour out front of the cookie place?" 

"Fine," Isabel huffed. She didn't care where they went, just as long as she was able to get the shoes she'd had her eye on. "Whatever, you guys go do your _man_ things, and Tess and I will go have fun." She turned on her heel, grabbed Tess by the arm and pulled her down the walkway.

"I guess we're not staying together?" Tess said, finally.

"Oh, they just make me so mad sometimes," said Isabel. "They think they're so great because their boys, and we're just girls that can't do anything. Well, I've got news for them, we can do anything they can do!"

"And a few things they can't," Tess giggled. "Like walking through their dreams and messing with their minds. They can only blow stuff up."

"Shhh, Tess," Isabel said, looking around. "We aren't supposed to talk about that stuff in public."

"Because Max said so," said Tess. "And we don't care what Max says, remember?"

"Well, maybe he's kind of right," said Isabel. "I mean, you never know who could be listening."

"Right, like evil government agents in their stupid blue suits and sunglasses with those little ear pieces in their ears, right?" mocked Tess. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and within seconds, those very same images appeared in front of Isabel.

"It's not funny, Tess," Isabel said. "Make them go away."

"You're no fun either," Tess grumbled as the vision faded away.

"Tess, stop behaving like a child," Isabel said.

"And don't talk to me like I am a child, I'm your age!" Tess shouted.

"We _think_ you're my age," Isabel shot back. "But if we based it on the way you're acting, I'd say you were six!"

"Oohh, you're such a bitch," Tess said in a low angry voice. "I really hate you sometimes. Go look at you're stupid shoes. I don't want to hang out with you anyhow."

With that parting shot, Tess pulled away from Isabel and stomped off into the crowded mall. Without looking over her shoulder to see if Isabel was watching, she ducked into the music store. Pausing to catch her breath and calm her pounding heart, Tess flipped idly through the sheet music. She'd never stood up to Isabel like that before and it felt different – good, but different. She paused for a moment to revel in the feeling of knowledge – she didn't need Isabel to tell her what to do – she was a strong enough person to do what she wanted, when a hand came down on her shoulder.

"Tess," the man said. "I've been dying to meet you."

An hour later, Max, Michael and Isabel waited in front of the bakery for Tess to appear.

"How could you let her go off on her own?" Max said.

"For crying out loud, Max, she's not a baby, none of us are, and she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself," Isabel said. "We had an argument, and she took off. What was I supposed to do, chase after her?"

"Yeah, maybe you should have," Michael said. "I bet you got all stuck up on her or something. You're turning into a stranger lately Isabel. We've all noticed it."

"Just because I don't want to stand out, you think I'm being stuck up?" Isabel practically shouted. "I just don't want to be a freak, is there anything wrong with that?"

"There isn't anything wrong with that, Isabel," Max said, trying to diffuse the tense situation. "But right now, we need to figure out where Tess is."

"Tess, Tess, Tess!" Isabel said. "Fine, go find the little baby. She's probably hiding somewhere waiting for us to come looking for her. Well, I'm not. I'm going to wait here!" She pulled a chair away from a nearby table and sat down in it, defiantly.

"Good, stay here," Max said. "And if Tess shows up, don't let her leave. We'll be back as quick as we can."

Isabel sat, drumming her fingers nervously on the table. She knew she had been wrong, but lately, she couldn't seem to control the words that came out of her mouth. It was like some evil pod person was living in her body, making her say terrible things. She just felt like her entire world was spinning out of control, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

"Hi Isabel," a voice said. There was a scraping of chairs, and three girls sat down at the table with Isabel.

"Where are the others?" the same girl asked. "You're never very far away from those cute brothers of yours."

"They went to go find Tess," Isabel said. She looked at the three girls and wondered why they had decided to join her. They represented the so-called _beautiful people_ of Roswell Middle School. They were in fact, the very group of people she wanted to be a part of.

"Oh, did the poor little baby get lost?" the first girl, named Ashley," said.

"No, she didn't get lost," Isabel said, wanting desperately to be a part of their group, but not at the expense of her sister. "She just lost track of time, that's all."

"It doesn't matter," said the second girl, Michelle. "So tell me, Isabel, you're brother, doe he like, you know, like anybody?" 

The three girls giggled and Isabel smothered a groan. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her brothers and their crushes.

"Yeah, does he like anybody, because Ashley said he's really hot, and she'd love to go to the dance with him," said Maureen, the third girl.

"Sorry," she said, an artificial smile playing upon her lips. "Max hasn't said anything about liking anyone."

And it's the truth, she thought. Max hadn't _said_ anything about liking anybody, he'd just had about a million dreams of Liz Parker. Not that she'd reveal that to them.

"Max!" squealed Ashley. "I was talking about Michael."

"Oh," Isabel said over the giggles. "Well, sorry, he hasn't either. Look, I hate to break this up, but I have to go," she added, noticing Michael waving at her from the other end of the food court. "I'll see you later."

She made her way quickly across the food court to where Michael stood waiting.

"It took you long enough to notice me," he gripped. "What were you doing with them?"

"Listening to them beg me for information about you," she said, making gagging motions. "Did you find Tess?"

"Yeah, and she's really shaken up," said Michael. "Some guy tried to grab her."

"What, she couldn't stop him?" Isabel asked, incredulously.

"No, she got away, but not before he told her that he knows all about us – who we are, and where we come from. Isabel, he says he knows everything."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"I'm worried about her," Isabel whispered. "We can't fool Mom and Dad for much longer. If we keep saying she's sick, they're going to take her to the doctors."

"She'll snap out of it," Michael said. "She was really freaked by what happened."

"Can you blame her?" Isabel asked. She got up off the sofa and began to plump the floral pillows as Michael talked.

"No, I don't blame her," Michael said. "I'm just glad she held it together long enough to get away from him. That was really great." 

"Yeah, and I, oh, I'll get it," Isabel abruptly switched gears and crossed the living room to the front door. She reached the door as the bell rang again, and yanked it open forcefully, her normally beautiful features marred by a scowl.

"What?" she asked, without really looking.

"H-hi, Isabel," a voice said, cracking, slightly. "Is – is Tess home?" 

"Oh, hi, Alex," Isabel said. "Tess is in bed, sick."

"Yeah, I know," Alex said. "I – I uh, brought some of her work home." He swallowed convulsively. "This is from band. She – well – she auditioned for a solo, and Mr. Marshall picked her. He asked someone to bring the music to her so she could start practicing."

"Well, that's really nice of you," Isabel said. She reached out and plucked the papers from her hand and started to shut the door. Alex was a nice enough guy, but she didn't have any time to waste on him.

"Can I talk to Tess, please?" Alex said. He reached out and stopped Isabel from closing the door, and she looked at him in amazement. 

"Why do you need to talk to her?" asked Isabel. "Do you think I'm not capable of giving her the music?"

"No, I know you're capable of giving her the music," Alex explained, patiently. "But I still have some junk to explain to her" 

"Fine," Isabel sighed, opening the door again. "But don't be too long. Tess needs her rest."

Alex walked through the open door wondering if he was going to do anything to embarrass himself in front of Isabel. He pushed the door closed behind him, only to have it stop with an abrupt thump as it came in contact with something. Twin giggles made Alex realize that it wasn't a something, but a someone, rather two some ones that the door had come in contact with."

"Liz and Maria," he groaned to himself. He knew full well he wasn't going to have to worry about embarrassing himself any longer. He knew for a fact that Maria and Liz would do a fine job of that on their own.

"Alex, you weren't going to leave us out there, were you?" Maria asked. "Hi Isabel, don't mind us. We're with him."

"Yeah, we're with, oh, hi Michael," said Liz, blushing. She smiled slightly, revealing a mouthful of metal.

"Oh great, it's Laverne and Shirley," said Michael. "Max isn't here."

"You know, Michael, it wouldn't hurt you to be nice once in a while," Maria snapped while Liz continued to blush at the mention of Max's name.

"I'm nice all the time," said Michael. "But only to people I like," he added, pointedly.

"You wouldn't know nice if it jumped up and bit you in the face," said Maria.

"Come on," said Isabel. "Our room is this way. Sounds like those two are going to be at it for hours."

She directed Liz and Alex down the hall, following behind them. Alex was a nice enough guy, she guessed, but there was something about him, Liz, and even Maria that made her feel, well, uneasy seemed like a good word. For some peculiar reason, she wanted to tell them all their secrets. Something that Max had made them all swear they'd never do.

Alex and Liz stopped in the hallway, unsure of which door to choose. Isabel pushed past them and knocked on one of the doors softly. 

"Tess, you awake? You have visitors?" she called softly.

The door opened as if by magic, or least that's how it seemed because when they entered the room, Tess was sitting on the bed with papers and photographs all around them.

"Tess, Alex and Liz came by to visit," Isabel said. She glared at Tess to let her know that her little trick with the door hadn't gone unnoticed, at least by her.

"Oh, uh, hi," Tess said. "I, uh, I wasn't expecting anybody to come and visit. Sorry for the mess."

"It's no problem, and I'm real sorry to just show up," said Alex. "But you got the flute solo you auditioned for, and Mr. Marshall asked me to go over the music with you."

"I got the solo?" Tess squealed. She jumped off the bed, scattering the pictures and papers all over the floor, covering the blue carpet in a sea of white. "I really got the solo? This isn't some cruel joke, is it?" She grabbed Alex around the neck and almost strangled him as she attempted to hug him.

"I think she's happy," Isabel said, looking down at Liz who had knelt down and started to pick up the scattered photos. "You don't have to do that."

"I don't mind," said Liz, tapping the handful into a neat pile. "Oh look," she said. "Isn't this right about the time you started at Roswell Elementary?"

"Yeah," said Isabel, taking the photos from Liz. "Mom went totally camera crazy."

"Yeah, my mom's like that too," Liz admitted shyly. She gathered up some more of the pictures and papers to cover her discomfort, glancing at them idly as she did.

"Who's this?" she asked Isabel. She stared at the picture, confusion dancing across her face.

"I don't know," Isabel replied, barely glancing at the image. "Why?" 

"Because it sort of looks like Max," Liz said. "Or what Max would look like as a grown up. I mean, the hair color is wrong, and Max doesn't have a beard, but it just looks like Max," her voice faded out and color suffused her face as she realized just how much attention she actually paid to Max Evans.

"Let me see that," Tess said, reaching from her spot on the bed for the paper. "I remember this," she almost whispered. "I know this guy."

"What's that, Tess?" Liz asked.

"N-nothing," Tess said, slipping the sketch in with some other papers. "Alex, did you want to give me the music?"

"Y-yeah," Alex said, his voice breaking a bit. He sat down on the bed beside Tess, and pointed out some of the changes that Mr. Marshall had made. 

Isabel and Liz watched, amused as the two hummed various parts of the music and Tess scribbled notes, marking changes. While they watched, Isabel struggled to make small talk with Liz. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that the petite brunette beside her was important. She just couldn't figure out why.

"Are you guys going to the dance this Saturday?" Liz asked.

"What dance?" questioned Tess. Having not been at school for the past several days, she found she was missing out on a lot of news. She shot an angry look at her sister. Isabel's idea of important news clearly wasn't the same as hers.

"The Middle School Mixer," Liz explained. "It should be a lot of fun. Maria, Alex and I are all going."

"Is it like a date thing?" Tess asked nervously.

"It can be," Isabel said, deciding to have some fun. She'd recently noticed guys noticing her, and it gave her a heady sense of power – a power she decided she wanted to practice on Alex.

She moved closer to Alex, tossed her hair and smiled at him in as seductive a manner as she could manage.

"How about you, Alex, are you brining anybody?" she said, trying to make her voice low and sultry.

"Oh, uh," Alex said, his voice cracking unmercifully. "Yeah, well there was someone I kinda wanted to ask."

"Well, you should just do it," said Isabel. "You might be surprised at the answer you get."

"Um," Alex said.

Liz stared in amazement at her friend, watching his face flush with utter embarrassment.

"You know, you're right," Alex said, gulping. "I should just do it. Tess, you want to go to the dance with me?"

Liz smothered a giggle and watched Isabel's face take it's turn at changing colors. She glared at Alex and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"That was great, Alex," Tess said, trying unsuccessfully to smother a fit of giggles. "I don't think I've ever seen Isabel so angry before. But you know, you don't really have to take me," she added.

"What if I want to take you," said Alex. "You're my friend – friends can go do things together."

"I am your friend Alex, but that's it," Tess said, trying to be gentle. She liked Alex a lot, but she didn't _like_like him. 

"So we go as friends – all of us. You, me, Liz and Maria," Alex said. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, it does," Tess laughed, smiling at Liz and Alex. "But I should warn you, I love to dance."

"Uh, yeah, about that," said Alex, his face flushing again. "I can't dance."

"Alex, I told you, my dad's going to let us use the CrashDown on Friday after it closes to practice. Maria and I will teach you everything you need to know. Tess," she added, "Do you want to come, too?" 

"That would be fun," she said. "Kind of like a practice date or something," she added, winking at Alex."

"Come on, Alex, we need to get going. Maria's mom said she'd pick us up at 4:00. Besides, I think Maria's probably abused Michael enough. Are you coming to school tomorrow, Tess?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be feeling better," she said. "Thanks for bringing the music." She waited until Liz was out the door before she called out to Alex. "And Alex, don't worry," she said. "Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell Isabel you like her."

Alex blushed again, but smiled. "Thanks."

"Tell me again why we're doing this," Michael grumbled half-heartedly. 

"For a bunch of different reasons," Max explained, carefully bushing his hair as he spoke. "Liz was the only person to ever see a resemblance between me, and that sketch Mom has of the guy the Sheriff saw in the desert the day before we were found."

"Yeah, so what," said Michael. "One of us would have noticed it eventually."

"Michael, come on, there's something about them. All of us feel a connection to them. To Liz, Maria and Alex. Isabel feels it, Tess feels it and I feel it. I bet you do too, you just don't want to admit it." 

"Maybe," Michael said, grabbing a shirt off the floor. "Hey, is this clean?" 

"You are such a slob," Max sighed. "Here, wear this." He reached into the closet and pulled out a clean shirt and passed it to Michael. "Why do you care about a clean shirt, anyhow?"

"Well, I, uh, I just do! Forget about it. Fine, I get the connection thing, but why are we doing _this._"

"Boys, are you almost ready. It's time to head to the CrashDown," Diane Evans called. "I'm so glad to see you getting involved with such a nice group of kids," she added standing outside their door. "But if you don't hurry, we're going to be late, so move it."

Max and Michael followed their mother down the hall, through the kitchen and out into the mini-van where Isabel and Tess were already waiting. They climbed in the van, Max with a look of impending excitement on his face while Michael's wore a look of impending doom. Tonight looked to be anything but dull.

The impromptu dance practice proved to be rather anticlimactic. The girls all danced together and the boys sat at the counter eating Saturn Rings as fast as Liz's father could make them. Occasionally, Mr. Parker threatened to cut of the supply of Saturn Rings in order to get the boys onto the dance floor, but it was a losing proposition. The night ended early, and the small group was on excellent terms. The girls were, anyhow. The boys mostly glowered and wished they were anywhere but the CrashDown.

The night of the dance arrived, and as prearranged, Alex Liz and Maria, driven by Maria's mother, Amy stopped at the Evans household to pick up Tess. The three girls giggled and admired each other's outfits while Alex sat uncomfortably beside them in the back of Mrs. Deluca's car. The drive to the middle school was short, and they soon found themselves standing in line, along with Max, Isabel and Michael who had arrived right behind them.

They paid their entrance fee, and got their hands stamped and a card with a number on it.

"What's this for?" Max asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," said their gym teacher, Mr. Bolduc.

The cafeteria was decorated with streamers and posters and the traditional flashing strobe lights, and a deejay from the high school radio station played music, but the dance floor was deserted. Boys and girls, clustered together in groups ringed the dance floor, each of them waiting for another to make the first move.

Alex finally worked up the courage and asked Tess to dance, and together they moved out to the center of the floor and began to gyrate to the music. Alex and Tess broke the ice, and people began to move to the dance floor and dance. The dancing continued for several songs until Mr. Bolduc took the microphone from the deejay and called for everyone to listen.

"You were all given numbered cards when you came in," he said. "I want you to line up in order, in two lines. Odds on one side, evens on the other." As soon as the kids were lined up, he continued with his instructions. "Walk across the cafeteria to the person directly across from you. That will be your partner for the first slow dance of the evening. And remember, I want to see daylight between your bodies when you're dancing."

"Max, come on, switch with me," Michael whispered.

Max looked across the floor at his partner and glared at Michael. "No way! Suck it up and deal with it."

"I'm _not_ dancing with Isabel. She's my sister. How freaking gross is that? Hey, you wanna dance with Isabel?" Michael called further down the line.

"Dance with Isabel Evans?" the kid asked, scanning the line across the gym. "Sure!"

Max watched as Michael quickly switched places and numbers with the other student just as the teacher blew his whistle. The lines surged across the gym, and Michael looked up to find that his new partner was Maria Deluca.

"Somebody really must hate me," he heard Michael whisper under his breath. "I don't dance," he said, when Maria met him in the center of the gym floor.

"You do now," Maria said, grabbing his hands. She placed them on her waist and put her hands on his shoulders. "Now, move to the music," she ordered.

Max watched in amusement as Michael shuffled awkwardly around the floor. 

"Uh, we're supposed to dance," a voice said, and Max looked down to find Liz Parker standing in front of him.

"Sure," he said, his voice cracking on the simple word.

Max looked around helplessly, unsure of where to put his hands. Liz took pity on him and reached up and put her hands on his shoulders and smiled. Max's face flushed with color as he slid his hands around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm not really good at this."

"Well, it would help if you looked at me," said Liz with a smile.

_Liz, look at me, you have to look at me._

"What?" Max asked, stopping in shock.

"I said it would help your dancing if you looked at me," Liz repeated. 

"Oh, I uh, I thought I heard something else."

"Are you okay," Liz asked. "Maybe you should sit down or something? You look like someone got shot or something."

"Shot!" Max all but shouted as a wave of images flashed through his mind. 

He saw Liz lying on the floor, blood pouring from her abdomen. The image shifted and he saw himself in a laboratory, strapped to a table screaming. The image shifted again and he and Liz were jumping from a bridge. He saw Kyle lying on the floor bleeding and then he say Kyle in bed with Liz. Another shift and he was kneeling over Alex Whitman's bloody body trying to heal him. His mind began to whirl as he tried to process the information that assaulted his senses. He couldn't make sense of it. He didn't know what was real, and what wasn't

"Max!" Liz shouted. "Max, I think you need to sit down."

Liz took control of the situation and led Max out of the crowded cafeteria and into the hallway. Within seconds, Michael, Maria, Alex and Isabel were with them.

"Max, what's wrong?" Michael asked. "What did you do to him?" 

"Me?" Liz asked. "I didn't do anything. We were dancing, that's all. He just freaked out all of a sudden. He got this glassy look in his eyes and it's like he wasn't here or something."

"I'm okay, I, uh, I just got dizzy or something. Maybe I'm allergic to the perfume you're wearing or something," Max said, pulling himself together.

Liz was about to say she wasn't wearing any perfume when the sounds of an argument captured their attention. They all took off running down the hall toward the sound of the disturbance and stopped short when they found Tess, crying in against a wall, and Kyle staring down three boys from West Roswell High who had decided to crash the middle school dance.

"She said to leave her alone," Kyle said. "Now get out of here." 

"Sure, right, little boy," one of them jeered. "And who's going to make us."

"_We_ are," said Michael.

"That's right, all of us," Liz added.

"Come one, let's leave the little babies to their fun," one of them said, trying to save face.

They watched as the small group left the building and walked back down the hall into the café. An odder group you never saw, but one that felt perfectly natural, at least to four of them.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

He stalked through the halls of the deserted school, bellowing in fury. This was the second time he'd tried to make contact with her. The first time, she'd fought back and this time _they'd_ come to her rescue. He needed her, she was too important to his plans. Everything hinged on her compliance. She'd been so easy to manipulate before, but this time, something was different. She was more secure, more sure of herself, and he didn't know how to deal with that.

He opened the door to a bathroom, practically ripping it off its hinges. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself, until he caught sight of his reflection in a mirror. An adolescent, schoolboy's body stared back at him. Grimacing in disgust at his reflection, he used his powers to revert back to a more mature human form. When the change was complete, he opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the hallway, and then out into the night.

The sweat poured off Max Evans' forehead as he pedaled his bike down the stretch of highway. It was stupid, he knew, but ever since the night of that middle school dance, he felt something pulling him – calling him out to the desert. He didn't know what it was, but he was powerless to ignore it.

Ignoring his discomfort, he pushed on, determined to make it to his final destination. Not that he knew exactly where that was. He was hoping instinct and a dim eight-year old memory would help him. He pedaled furiously as he tried to make sense of the feelings and images that had been assaulting his brain ever sine that night. The night he danced with Liz Parker.

Max pushed on, his physical endurance pushed to the limit, determined to reach his destination when fate took matters into her own hands. Without warning, the bike became incredibly difficult to pedal. Max quickly came to a stop. As soon as he got off the bike, the problem became apparent. He had not one, but two flat tires. Cursing to the empty desert, Max placed his hand over one tire, and used his powers to inflate it. He'd just started to inflate the second tire when a car pulled up beside him.

He turned to look but the glare of the sun made it impossible for him to see. The car door slammed and a figure moved to stand beside him. 

"Having trouble, Mr. Evans?" a voice said. "You're awfully far from home."

Max tried to look but the figure was standing with the sun directly behind him, causing Max to squint.

"No, I'm good, really," Max said. "Just taking a little rest." 

"Do you're parents know you're out here?" the voice continued. 

Feeling intimidated, Max stood up and ended up staring Sheriff Valenti in the face.

"Oh, hi Sheriff," he said, trying to act relieved. "I didn't know it was you. Um, no, I didn't specifically tell my parents where I was riding, but they won't care."

"Well, maybe not, but I do care, and it isn't safe for you to be out here alone in the hot sun. Let's throw your bike in the back and I'll give you a ride back to town."

"Oh, but uh, I really wanted to see how far I could go," Max said. 

"You know, Max, you're a good kid. You've never been in trouble; let's keep it that way. Why don't you stop lying to me and tell me the truth," said the Sheriff.

Max felt his heart pummel in his chest. He didn't know what to think, for one brief moment, he thought the sheriff knew their secret. Forcing himself to relax, Max took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

"You're right, Sheriff Valenti, I wasn't being completely honest with you. But I really don't want my parents to know why I'm out here. See, I know we were found not too far from here, and I really just wanted to look around and see if I remembered anything."

"Max, you don't think you're going to find any clues to where you came from, do you?" the sheriff asked, kindly. "We scoured the area completely after your parents found you."

"I know," Max said, adopting a crestfallen expression. "I just wanted to, you know, _see_ it. Maybe it would trigger something in my memory."

"Is there any reason you don't want your parents to know about this, Max?"

Max scuffed at the ground with his sneaker, raising a small cloud of dust. "I- well, I don't want them to think I'm not happy with them, because I am." He lifted his eyes and looked imploringly at the sheriff. "I am happy, I can't imagine living anywhere else, or wanting anybody else as parents, I just, I," he paused.

"You just want to know, is that it?" the sheriff asked, filling in the silence left by Max.

"Yeah, exactly," Max admitted. "I don't want to hurt mom and dad, they're great, but I'd really like to know who left us out here, and I thought maybe if I came out here, something would, you know, like trigger some suppressed memory or something."

"I'll tell you what," the sheriff said. "Let's load your bike up, and I'll take you for a ride, and then I'm taking you back to town. And Max, I don't want to see you out here alone again. It's too dangerous. Is that clear?"

Max knew when to give in, and this was a good time. He smiled at the sheriff and wheeled his bike over to his SUV. The Sheriff opened the back and lifted Max's bike up into the back hatch. Once the bike was secure, the sheriff opened the passenger side and waited for Max to climb in. The sheriff quickly came around the SUV and climbed in the driver's side and pulled out onto the empty stretch of highway. 

The stranger watched from behind the small outcropping of rocks. He'd used his powers to stop Max. He'd hoped to get the young king alone and make him see reason. He hadn't counted on the sheriff stopping to help, or Max letting him. These kids were too immersed in their lives here in Roswell. He needed to get them and bring them home. His life depended on it.

"Here's right about where your parent's found you," the sheriff said, pulling his SUV over to the side of the road. "Does it spark any memories?"

"No," Max admitted glumly.

"I didn't think that it would," the sheriff said. "Don't feel bad, Max. I still think our best lead was the hiker I saw not too far from here."

"Hiker?" Max asked, trying to quell the excitement from his voice.

"Didn't your parent's tell you about that?" the sheriff asked.

"Well they said that there had been some guy seen in the desert, but not that he was a hiker," said Max.

"Okay," the sheriff said. "I was just a deputy back then, and I was driving out here when I found this guy hiking on the road. He said he and some friends were doing some desert camping and had lost track of what day it was, and that he was hiking back to town to get a paper. I gave him an old paper that I had, and he took back off into the desert. I wish now that I had held him, but I didn't really have any cause to do so."

"Would you mind showing me where you found him?" Max asked.

"I figured you'd ask that," the sheriff said. "Of course I will, but Max, I want you to promise me you'll talk to your parents about this. They should know you have questions. They know you love them, and I think they'd be more hurt to know you're keeping this from them more than they would be by knowing you were curious about where you came from."

"I will, Sheriff Valenti," Max promised. "Please, can you take me out there."

The sheriff eyed Max curiously. He seemed consumed by his desire to find out as much of his history as possible. Maybe it was normal, he didn't know. But he felt a sense of responsibility to this boy and his siblings. If he'd followed his instincts before, he would have detained the stranger and maybe he'd have some answers for the kids. He pulled out onto the road and drove several miles out into the desert, and stopped at a mile marker sign.

"It was around here," the sheriff said.

Max climbed out of the SUV and looked around. The landscape was barren and evoked no memories in him at all. A feeling of loss welled up inside of him. He had felt certain that he needed to come out here. The drive to explore the desert was almost a compulsion with him and now that he was here, it appeared that it was all for nothing.

He walked around the front of the SUV staring up and down the road like he was searching for him.

"Are you sure it was here?" he asked the sheriff.

"Positive," he replied.

"Maybe you got the mile marker wrong," Max said hopefully.

"I wasn't going by the mile marker," said the sheriff. "I remember that." He pointed off into the distance across the road.

Max followed his outstretched arm and saw a large sandstone outcropping. 

_That's it,_ he thought to himself, excitement welling up inside. _That's it._

"Thanks, Sheriff Valenti. I guess this was all just a big waste of time." 

"No, it wasn't, Max. Not if it helps to put your mind at rest. Now come on, I'll take you home."

Max climbed into the SUV and tried not to stare at the rock formation as they drove away.


	10. Chapter 9

Liz stiffened slightly as a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"I give up," she said, not in the mood for any games. "Who is it? And if it's you, Maria, I'm going to kill you. I'm late already."

"Ouch!" came the male voice behind her. "That hurts. Do my hands really remind you of Maria Deluca?"

"Kyle, is that you?" Liz asked laughing. She pried the hands away from her eyes and turned to find her friend standing behind her, looking insulted.

"I do _not_ have girl hands," he said.

"No, you don't have girl hands," Liz agreed with a smile. Kyle always made her smile. Ever since that night in middle school, the eight tweens had formed a group, though some times, the Evans siblings seemed a bit aloof and withdrawn.

"Guess what I got today?" Kyle said, practically dancing in the hallway. 

"Um, an A in Spanish?" Liz guessed.

"No, that's _never_ going to happen," said Kyle. "Let's limit this to things that slightly more realistic."

"I give, what did you get?" Liz said, laughing at her friend's excitement.

Not speaking, Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card and grinned.

"Kyle!" Liz squealed. "You got your drivers license! That's so cool!" 

"Yeah, I'm totally psyched," said Kyle. "So, like, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the movies or something, you know, now that I can drive and stuff."

"Oh, uh, um, you mean like a date or something?" Liz asked. "Kyle, I thought you liked Tess? I mean, the way you look at her and stuff, you know."

"Yeah, well, I do," he admitted.

"Kyle, are you just asking me to go out to make Tess jealous?" Liz asked. 

"No way, I wouldn't, uh, okay, yeah, I am," Kyle admitted. He looked down at the floor, scuffing his foot in embarrassment.

"I knew it," said Liz, smiling. "You're such a geek, Kyle. It's never going to work." She reached into her locker and grabbed her last book and stuffed it into her backpack.

"I'm sure it will," said Kyle, giving Liz a pleading look.

"I don't know, Kyle," Liz began. "I don't feel comfortable…" Liz paused as a figure walking down the hall caught her attention. Without warning, she leaned over and kissed Kyle on the cheek and smiled. "What time are you picking me up tomorrow?" she asked in a loud voice.

"Uh, um, four o'clock," Kyle asked, flustered by Liz's complete turn around. "Liz, are you – oh," he said, catching sight of Max Evans retreating figure. "Now I get it."

"Shut up, Kyle. Don't say another word. Just pick me up at four o'clock." 

"I really don't get how the four of us going all the way down to Greenfield is going to make Tess jealous," Kyle grumbled, driving down the highway.

"Because Maria overheard Tess and Isabel making plans to drive out to the desert on this road to do some exploring," Liz explained.

"I get _that_ part," said Kyle. "It's the why Maria and Alex are here with us part that I _don't_ get."

"Because Maria wouldn't stop nagging Liz until she told her everything," said Alex, leaning over the front seat. "And as soon as she did, Maria went into full Maria mode until Liz said she could come along. Personally, I'm impressed. Liz held out for a full forty-five minutes before she caved in."

"Okay, that explains the Maria part, but why are you here?" Kyle asked, driving carefully down the highway, with both hands placed at 10 and 2, in the way of a new driver.

"It wouldn't look like much of a date if you had Liz and Maria with you, now would it?" asked Alex.

"Yeah, _and_ Alex has it bad for Isabel Evans," said Maria. "And she won't even give him the time of day. Personally, I think he should just forget about her. She's turning into one of those A-List popular crowd losers."

"Hey!" Kyle interjected, "Those are my friends you're talking about." 

"Well, you have to admit, some of them are – hey, there they are!" said Liz, pointing through the windshield to a Jeep pulled off the side of the road.

Kyle pulled his father's car off the road and pulled the key out of the ignition. "This had better work," he said, glaring at Liz. 

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Liz shot back. "This was your stupid idea, not mine."

"Yeah, but as my friend, you're supposed to try and talk me _out_ of said stupid idea. I know you've had a lot of practice," he said, looking in the rear view mirror at Maria.

"Watch it, Kyle," Maria growled. "Or I'll have Alex kick your ass." 

"Don't bring me into this," said Alex. "And can I just point out, we look incredibly stupid and stalkerish sitting in the car. Shouldn't we get out or something?"

"Max, we have company," Isabel said, watching the approaching foursome. "It's Liz, Kyle, Maria and Alex. What did you do, invite your girlfriend and her buddies out here?"

"Liz isn't my girlfriend," Max started to say automatically, but the words stuck in his throat when he saw Liz walking with Kyle, his arm around her waist. His face turned first white, then red when he realized that the two were walking like a couple.

"Gee, Max, you're not looking too good right now," Isabel said in an undertone.

"Hey, Max, I think we found something," Michael called as he walked out from behind a rock. "Tess thinks she remembers something. What, did you invite the whole freshman class or something?" he asked, catching sight of the foursome walking toward them. "Is this like a – is Maria dating Alex?" he finished, practically shouting. 

Everyone stopped short at Michael's outburst, looking around in shock as two large rocks nearby apparently exploded. Maria screamed and grabbed on to Alex's arm, while Max turned and glared at his brother. 

"Sorry," Michael said. "I guess I lost my temper."

"You lost your temper, that's great, really great," said Max. "How are we supposed to explain this to them?"

"Hey, what's going on?" Tess called. "Max, Isabel, didn't you hear Michael. I think we found something. Oh, uh, hi," she said, her voice flat when she spied Liz and Kyle standing arm and arm. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Never mind that," said a hysterical Maria. "Those rocks just exploded. What the hell are you guys doing out here – Playing with bombs?" 

"No, uh, it's nothing like that," Max began and stopped as several more rocks around them began to explode. "Michael!"

"It's not me, Max!" Michael shouted. "I think there's somebody out there."

A large boulder near Liz exploded, raining smaller rocks down on her and the others. Kyle reacted instinctively and pushed Liz down to the ground and covered her body with his, shielding her from the worst of the explosion.

"Michael!" Max shouted again.

"Damn it, Max, it isn't me. I'm telling you, I saw somebody out there!" Michael shouted back. "Get behind the rocks, now. It isn't safe out in the open."

He started running, grabbing Tess by the arm and dragging her behind him. "Will you four _move it_ he shouted before disappearing behind a large rock.

Alex pulled Maria along with him just as another rock, exploded, this one positioned near Maria. Kyle got up and half dragged, half carried Liz, following behind Alex and Maria.

The eight friends huddled behind a large group of rocks, trying to figure out their next move.

"What is it?" asked Isabel. "What's doing that?"

"Well, whatever it is, it's coming closer," said Max, after an exceptionally large explosion. He stood up, and tried to lean out around the rock, but the awkward angle caused him to slip, and lose his balance. As he fell, his hand slid across the face of the rock, catching on the rough edges of the rock.

"Max, are you all right?" Liz asked kneeling down to help him up. 

"Forget that," said Alex, pointing toward the rocks. "What's _that?_" 

As one, the other seven looked to where Alex was pointing, what had been solid rock was now a doorway revealing a chamber hidden within the rock.

"Now is not the time to be discussing, now's the time to be hiding," said Michael, pushing the others inside. Acting instinctively, he passed his hand along the wall, and the wall again appeared to be solid rock, only this time they were on the inside.

"I, uh, I can explain," Max said, looking at Liz.

"Oh – My – God," said Maria, holding her hands to her head and looking around. "You guys are aliens, aren't you?"


	11. Chapter 10

"We are _not_ aliens," Max said, gritting his teeth.

"You so are," Maria countered. "You made those rocks explode, and you made a door appear in solid rock, and well, you're aliens!"

"We didn't make those rocks explode," Max said.

"Well, not _all_ of them," Michael said.

"Michael!" Max shouted.

"What? It's not like I meant to do it! It was just a mistake. I kind of lost it when I saw Mar – never mind, it was just a mistake." 

"Jesus, Michael, are you ever going to learn to control your.."

"Isabel!" Max shouted.

"Mouth?" Isabel continued. "Come on, Max, do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"Look, would somebody mind telling me what's going on here, because I'm really confused?"

"It's nothing," Max began. "We were just…what was that?"

"What was what?" said Tess, I didn't hear anything."

"That! Listen!" He turned and looked over to where the door had been located, trying to place the rumbling sound he heard.

. "Everyone, be quiet," Max whispered. "I think somebody's trying to get in. There isn't any place to hide. It's up to you Tess, can you do it?"

"I think so, Max," Tess whispered back, her face a mask of worry. 

"So what?" asked Kyle. "What can she do?"

"Will you please shut up!" Max whispered.

"Aye-aye El Presidente," said Kyle, giving Max a mock salute.

Max was about to respond when the hidden door suddenly appeared, and slid back. Sunlight entered through the chamber door, making it impossible for them to identify the figure that entered slowly. He stepped further into the chamber, his features becoming more clear and defined. When they could finally see him clearly, Tess gave a small gasp of fear, closed her eyes tightly and began to move her lips in a soundless whisper.

"Where are they?" the man growled. "They had to come in here? Damn it, I _need_ them and the Granolith if I want to get out of this place. Where the hell did Calarish hide the damn thing?" He cursed softly as his eyes scanned the small cavern once more. With a final burst of what they took to be profanity in some unfamiliar language, he turned, passed his hand across the rock wall, and stepped through the door that appeared.

The eight friends waited silently for what seemed like hours – waiting to see if the stranger would return. Finally through some unspoken signal, they all began to speak at once. Maria, Alex and Kyle all began demanding an explanation of what had just happened, while Michael and Isabel did their best to convince them that nothing _had_ happened. Tess was crying and shaking with fear, and Max was busy asking her who the man was.

"That's the man who tried to gr-grab me in the mall," Tess sobbed.

"But who is he? Does he know who we are?" Max asked.

"His name is Nescado, and not only does he know who you are, he's one of you," said Liz, holding a folded piece of paper. "At least I'm pretty sure he is."

"You _know_ that creep?" asked Kyle, who had by now, abandoned all pretense of being on a date with Liz, and stood, rubbing Tess' back.

"No, I don't know him, but I can read, and the answers to everybody's questions are right here," Liz said, waving the paper.

"Give me that!" Michael demanded, trying to grab the paper from Liz. 

"No, not until you guys tell us the truth – about everything," said Liz.

"What truth?" bluffed Max. "There isn't anything special about us." 

"Max, this says it was written by you. That in 2014, you and I used the granolith to send you back in time to warn me. And it says that we made a mistake in our calculations, and you went back to far. There's a lot more, but I'm not letting you have this, until the four of you come clean. What is the granolith, and why did _WE_ send it back in time so that you could warn me?"

Max looked at his brother and sisters in a moment of silent communication, and one by one they nodded.

"We might as well sit down," Max sighed, dropping to the ground. "This may take a while."

Max explained, with the help of his siblings to explain everything they knew about themselves, including faint half memories of a stranger finding them and leading them to the spot where Philip and Diane found them.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but that just sounds pretty strange," said Alex.

"I know," said Isabel. "Try living it. But it's all true, I swear. We – we've wanted to tell you for a long time, but we'd all swore we'd never tell anyone. Our parents don't even know." 

"Wait, you wanted to tell _us_?" Maria asked. "Us four, specifically? Why, Isabel. It's not like you even like any of us, or anything. We're not a part of the "A" list."

"Hey!" said Kyle. "Didn't we already have this discussion? I'm a part of the A-List, remember?"

"Seriously, Isabel," Maria continued, ignoring Kyle. "Why would you want to tell the four of us, the _three_ of us," she amended, glancing at Kyle, "anything?"

"This is going to sound weird," said Isabel, "but all of us, have felt a connection to you in one way or another from the first time we met. Tess and Max didn't fight it as much as Michael and I did, but all of us have kind of felt that there was some sort of bond between us." 

"She's not far from wrong," said Liz, softly. "According to this we were, uh, close in the future."

"Close, what do you mean, close?" asked Maria. "Cause girlfriend, you can't tell me that I was close with," she paused when she realized that Liz's gaze shifted from her to Michael and back again. "You have got to be kidding me?" she shouted. "He doesn't even like me. He can barely stand to be in the same room with me, and you're telling me that in the future, we were, uh, close?"

"That's what it says here," said Liz. "Look, it says a lot of stuff, but how do we know it's true? I mean this could all be part of some elaborate practical joke that they're playing on us." Her voice climbed hysterically. "Right, it's just some joke? Because if it's not, that means I'm going to get shot in a few months, and I really don't think I can stand knowing that it's going to happen."

Without warning, Liz dropped the paper and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook as she struggled to contain the deep sobs that exploded from her chest.

"I don't want to be shot," she cried. "I don't."

It was Max who moved toward Liz and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Liz, don't," he said, quietly. "You're not going to get shot. If we know when it's going to happen, we can make sure it doesn't. Don't worry, we're not going to let you get hurt. I promise." 

"Look, I really don't think we should hang around here," said Michael. "We don't know if that Nescado guy is going to come back. JockBoy," he added, pointing at Michael, " You come with me and scout out the area to make sure he's really gone. If it safe, we'll come back and get the rest of you, and we can head back to town." 

"Who died and made you king?" Maria asked glaring at Michael.

"Yeah, and can I just say, I'm not really comfortable of being a part of the scouting party. That guy was blowing up rocks. I don't really think I can do much to defend myself against that."

"Michael's right," said Isabel. "We have a lot to talk about, and it's obviously not safe here. Kyle, you'll be okay. Michael won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm not reassured," said Kyle with a long-suffering sigh.

"Uh, before you go out there, I think you should all hear this," said Alex. He glanced down at the paper Liz had dropped. The one he'd picked up off the ground and continued reading while Max comforted Liz. "According to this, by the time Max came back to change the future, we were all already dead."


	12. Chapter 11

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do," said Kyle. "Especially before I go out there to face the apparently homicidal psycho alien with nothing but Michael for protection."

"We'll explain everything," said Max. "We promise, but not here, it isn't safe."

"Right, and how do we know you won't just erase our minds or something?" asked Maria.

"We won't do that," said Michael, his tone defensive. "We _can't_ do that. Can we?" he added as an after thought.

Tess nodded her head, a guilty expression on her face.

"I've done it to mom to make her forget to fix dinner, and I've been cooking instead," she said.

"Tess!" Max shouted. "That's kind of wrong, don't you think?" 

"Well, if you subscribe to the whole 'I only use my powers for good,' theory, then I'd have to say that's about as good as it gets, because I've tasted your mom's cooking, and no offense, but it bad."

"Real bad," said Michael.

"Yeah, horrible," agreed Liz.

"It's the worst, Max. You have to admit it," said Isabel. "Tess was, you know, only trying to keep us alive."

"Yeah but still, we don't know if you're doing that could hurt mom in any way," said Max.

"Oh, I never thought of that," Tess whispered, an expression of fear masking her pretty features.

"Don't worry about it," said Max. "I'm sure nothing happened. Besides, we have an even bigger problem to deal with. We may have fooled this Nescado guy or now, but our cars are out there, and sooner or later he's going to figure out that we aren't anywhere, but here." 

"I have an idea," said Liz. "Can we all go out together, and have Tess make it look like we're walking away from our cars or something?

"That may work," said Max. "Can you do it, Tess?"

"I think so," said Tess.

"Wait a minute!" Maria shouted. "You know, we're taking an awful lot on faith here. No offense, but what proof do we have that you guys are even telling us the truth?"

"What do you want from us; a signed affidavit from our home planet or something?" Michael practically shouted.

"That'd be a start," said Maria.

"Oh, sure great, well I'll just jet off in our spaceship to Mars," 

"Antar," interjected Liz.

"Antar," continued Michael without missing a beat. "And I'll get our king to sign a note saying we're all aliens. Would _that_ work for you?"

"You have a spaceship?" asked Alex.

"Actually," said Liz, reading the paper in her hand. "Max is the king of your planet."

"He is?" asked Michael, and Isabel, while at the same time Max said, "I am?"

"Cool!" said a now excited Isabel. "That makes Michael a prince – well that's kind of hard to believe, and Tess and I are princesses. Do you think we had tiaras? And coronation gowns, and royal jewels?" 

"Excuse me, but isn't this supposed to be about a little bit of proof from you guys?" said Maria. "Not about tiaras. Unless, do you have any here? Cause if you do, I'd love to borrow one. I think I'd look pretty hot in a tiara."

"Can all of you just shut up so we can get out of here?" shouted Liz. "I just want to go home."

"Liz, are you okay?" Max asked, concern dancing across his face.

"Let's see, in the past hour, I've been attacked by a homicidal alien, found out I'm going to get shot, and that my husband sent himself back from the future to convince me to make his teenaged self fall out of love with me so he could be with Tess. On the whole, I'd say I'm doing just fine. Now, can we please just get out of here?" 

A loud chorus of what's echoed in the chamber as the others processed what Liz had said.

"Liz, stop it, we have to talk," said Max. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"No, we don't have to talk, we don't have to do anything. _You_ on the other hand are supposed to take your bride and go back to your home planet. Now can we just get out of here?"

Liz jerked away from Max, dropping the papers she held in her rush to get away, and ran over to where the door had appeared in the wall. Picking a rock up off the ground, she began to bang at the wall, looking for a way out. Suppressing a scream of frustration when the opening didn't appear, Liz turned and threw the rock. All eyes watched it's arcing path and started in amazement when instead of a rock on rock sound, they heard the unmistakable sound of rock upon metal.

"What was that?" asked Alex. "Cause if it really was a spaceship, I call shotgun!"

The others forgot Liz for a moment as they moved across the small and stared at the cause of the noise.

"What is that?" Maria asked pointing at a metal structure. It consisted of four rectangular metal containers stacked two by two, with a filmy white substance draped over it.

"I think that's what we were in before we were born," said Michael. He reached out and began to stroke the receptacles with an almost reverent expression on his face. "Do you realize that this is a piece of home?" he asked. "See, one space for each of us." 

"And Tess was down here," said Max. He was staring that the unit, but he wasn't really seeing it, he was staring into the past.

"I remember," he whispered. "We came out first," he said, pointing at Isabel and Michael. "And Tess was still in there. We were so afraid, and we didn't' know what to do. And then that man did something to get her out."

"That man was you, Max," Isabel reminded him. "You did it."

"The question remains; why?" asked Alex, examining the unit.

He pulled at it experimentally, but was unable to budge it. Meanwhile, Maria climbed into one of the small openings, and sat with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Wow," she said. "It must have been a pretty tight squeeze. Good acoustics though," she added, rapping on the panel above her head.

"Maria, come on. Get out of there. I want to go home," said Liz.

Maria was about to argue, but once glace at Liz's strained face caused her to shut her mouth and climb out of the small cube.

"Okay," she said, making her way out. "I'm coming. Oops!" she said, banging her foot on the back panel of the chamber. "That was loud. But see, good tone."

"Yeah, except for the part where that totally didn't sound right," said Alex.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked, standing up right. "It sounded good to me. Actually, it sounded like a G."

"It sounded hollow," said Tess.

"Yeah, so, what's the big deal?" asked Michael.

"The deal is," said Liz, getting drawn into the conversation despite her desire to leave, "That if it's up against solid rock, it shouldn't sound hollow."

"That means," Max continued. "There's another room behind this one." 

"Yeah, well, it's not like this thing is going to move," said Kyle, pushing at it ineffectually. "It's like they used alien super glue or something."

"Well just consider us the alien super glue remover," said Isabel. "You guys may want to step back a bit."

The four aliens focused their power on the metal chamber, and it wobbled slightly before it sliding to one side. An opening in the rock wall was revealed and a glowing light spilled out, flooding the cavern with it's shimmering glow. The filed one by one into the new room and stared in awe at the tall glowing object that filled the room. 

"I think we found the granolith," said Liz.


	13. Chapter 12

Liz slid into the booth at the CrashDown beside Kyle and looked across the table at her two best friends. Both wore the same confused and depressed expression that she knew graced her face. It had been several weeks since the incident, as they'd taken to calling it, had occurred out in the desert. And since then, none of them had seen even one glimpse of the Evans family. It was like they'd disappeared off the face of the Earth.

"I still stay they beamed back up to the home planet," said Kyle, popping a Saturn Ring into his mouth.

"Antar," said Liz, "And I thought we agreed not to talk about stuff like that in public."

"What public," said Alex, looking around the empty café? This place is as deserted as the school library on a warm spring day." 

"Yeah, well, we can't be too careful," said Liz. "I mean, that paper we had talked about all sorts of crazy people that were after them, us, them, oh, I don't know," she said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "It's all so confusing."

"Well, if you hadn't dropped the paper when you had your meltdown," said Kyle, "It would be a lot _less_ confusing."

"I've apologized a million times for that," said Liz. "What do you want from me, blood?"

"Lay off, will you, Kyle," said Maria, coming to Liz's defense. "If anyone was entitled to a freak out, it was Liz, after all, she'd just found out she was going to get shot. Besides," she added, her gaze shifting to the plate glass window that looked out on to Roswell's main street. "It looks like ET didn't fly home." 

Kyle and Liz turned in the booth to see Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess staring in at them through the window. Kyle nudged Liz, and when she didn't move fast enough, climbed over the back of the booth and jogged across the café and opened the door.

"Hey," he said. "How are things on the home planet?"  
"Hi, Kyle," Tess answered, smiling shyly, while Max pushed past him and made his way to where Liz sat.

"Are you okay?" he asked without preamble. "I was worried about you." 

"You couldn't have been too worried," said Alex. "Seeing as how nobody heard from you in over two weeks."

"We don't owe you any explanations," began Michael.

"Excuse me?" Maria all but shouted. "You don't owe us? I think you owe us a heck of a lot, explanations being the least of what you owe us." 

"Look, it's not our fault," said Isabel. "Our parents," she blushed slightly. "Well, they decided we needed to go on a family vacation. We've spent the last two weeks bonding at Disney World in Florida. They even took our cell phones so there wouldn't be anything to detract from _family time._" 

"Oh, wow, that's, well that's just heinous," said Kyle. "Two weeks of _It's a Small World?_ How did you survive?"

"It wasn't easy," said Michael. "If I get hugged by one more freaking Disney character, I can't be held accountable for my actions."

Everyone laughed at the image of Michael being hugged by Chip and Dale, and the tension that had filled the café with the arrival of the Evans' eased considerably. But as the laughter died away awkwardness filled the room. The eight of them had shared something, and none of them were sure of how to deal with it.

"So, nice elephant," said Maria, finally.

"Elephant, what elephant?" asked Michael, a panicked look on his face. There's no elephant – Tess, are you doing something?"

"I'm not doing anything," Tess said, smothering a giggle. "Maria's talking about the elephant in the middle of the room. You know, the one everybody sees, but nobody talks about."

"Oh," he said, slightly mollified. He reached down surreptitiously and patted the small package in his pocket. It contained a charm bracelet with a Dumbo the Flying Elephant charm and a Tinkerbell charm. He'd bought it at Disney World for Maria, and he was afraid she had somehow found out about it.

"As long as I live, I swear, I will never understand women," he grumbled. "What are you two babbling about?"

"She means we're all just ignoring this whole alien thing," said Liz. _That's_ the elephant."

"Well, jeez, why didn't she just say so?" asked Kyle, who had looked as confused as Michael during the entire exchange.

"Well, there it is, out in the open," said Alex. "So what do we do about it?"

"Well, I think the whole thing is a fake," said Liz. "No, not the part about you being aliens, obviously, you do have powers that none of us can even conceive of. But that whole thing about another Max coming back from the future – it can't be true."

"Why not?" asked Isabel. "I mean, we remember him, we have a picture of him and everything."

"It couldn't have been Max," Liz said. "I've been doing some research, and all the theories say that if time travel were possible, and you came in contact with yourself from another time, both of you would cease to exist. So that couldn't have been Max that came back, and that means maybe everything that was on that paper was a lie too."

"Not necessarily," said Alex. "I get what your saying, Liz, but think about this, the Max that emerged from that chamber thingy, he wasn't Max yet. He was more of a blank slate. He had no prior knowledge of who he was, so it's possible that the two Max's didn't cancel each other out."

Liz opened her mouth to refute Alex's statements but couldn't. What he said made sense.

"That means everything on the paper was probably the truth," she said, her expression grim. "Including the part where I get shot."

"We don't know that," said Max. "That's why we thought we should all sit down together and go over that paper word by word."

"You mean you didn't do it while you were on vacation?" Alex asked, his tone incredulous.

"Actually, Max the boy king forgot to pack it," Isabel admitted with a grin. 

"Hey, it's not my fault," said Max. "Mom and Dad were rushing us around, and I…"

"You forgot to bring it," said Michael. "Forget it. We're back and we're here, so why don't we start at the beginning."

"Don't you think it would make more sense if we each had a copy of our own to ready?" asked Tess. "I mean, I can't really see all eight of us crowded around the one copy we do have. And what if something happens to it. We should make at least one back up copy."

"Great idea," said Kyle. "But there isn't any place opened on a Sunday night where we can make copies."

"Maybe we do," Max said. "Do you have any paper?"

"Does she have any paper?" asked Maria. "This is Liz we're talking about. She has notebook paper, loose-leaf paper, printer paper, all kinds of paper. If it's a school supply, Liz Parker has it." 

Liz frowned at the geeky yet accurate description of herself and walked across the café floor to the fax machine her father had recently installed in an effort to boost business. She reached under the counter and pulled out a ream of paper and returned to the area where the others were sitting. They were all so different, yet they were inexplicably bound together. There was a word for it; she'd learned it just the other day while studying for her PSAT's, but it danced on the edges of her memory.

She handed Max the paper, and they all watched, mesmerized as Max passed his hand over the old faded paper and then over the paper Liz had given him. As his hand moved across the paper, words appeared behind it, slowly coming into view like. While he worked, he talked half to himself, and half to the others in the room.

"There was this word that he used at the beginning. I don't know what it meant. He said it had to do with all of us – Cons- cons…" his voice drifted off as he tried to remember the word. 

"Consanguinity!" Liz shouted. "It can mean a connection formed by blood, like a family, or a close connection or a common bond."

"That's it," said Max. "Consanguinity. Anyhow, he, um, I – God, this is so confusing – said we, all of us, had that affinity or common bond. There, I'm finished," he added, making the last of the copies.

"Holy shit!" Kyle said. "That is probably the coolest freaking thing I've ever seen in my life. "Do you realize how much that could help me in school?" he continued while Max continued making copies for everyone.

"Shut up and read," said Max, passing out the copies to everyone.

The small restaurant was silent, except for the occasional rustling of paper as the eight friends read. At one point, Maria got up and went to the cash register and returned with a handful of pencils, which allowed everyone to make notes. One by one, they finished reading and waited silently until the last person read the last page.

"Well," said Max.

"Well, what?" asked Alex. "This is your show, what do you expect from us?"

"You heard Max before," said Isabel. "We have a close connection. I guess before it was formed by Liz getting shot, but this time – well, I don't really know how it happened, but we all admit that we've all kind felt bonded to you from the first time we met." 

"Do you remember when the other Max found us, he did something," said Tess.

"Yeah, he did," said Michael. "I kind of remember it was like seeing a movie playing in my mind, though I didn't know what a movie was then. He showed us all the good stuff about all of us together." 

"Yeah, and it looks like he left a lot of the bad stuff for the letter that he wrote," said Maria, flipping through the papers. "Some of this stuff is pretty horrible. You're hunted by the FBI, and another alien race, that's pretty scary."

"But it doesn't have to happen," said Tess. "Especially this part about my being with Max. That's really gross on all sorts of levels. He's my _brother._ I can't ever imagine liking him, liking him."

"But he's not _really_ your brother," said Liz. "You were married back on Antar, and see, it says here that if you're not together, you're all going to die."

"Right, if we're not together – but we are together," said Michael with stunning logic. "We don't have to be couples to be together. The bond we have now is really strong, who says that isn't enough." 

"It might be," said Kyle, rereading the papers Max had copied. "I think the other Max realized that. He originally was trying to get Liz to fall out of love with him and have her help Tess fall in love with him. I think he realized that it wasn't necessary. What _was_ necessary was to keep the four of us together as a family. _THAT'S_ the bond he was trying to forge. I mean come on – we're family, and family is forever. You can fall in and out of love with people, but family is family, no matter what."

"Michael's right," said Max. "We're a family – all of us," he added, his look encompassing the whole group."

"Great, now that we've solved the aliens taking over the world in the future problem," said Maria. "How do we stop Liz from getting shot?"


	14. Chapter 13

_If you're reading this, it means my plan was successful,_ Liz read. _Hopefully, this means you're able to change the timeline, and prevent the horrible tragedy that happens because of us._

Liz sighed and rolled over on the bed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to read it again. How many times could she read about getting shot and getting saved by Max, only to have everybody she ever loved killed by some evil aliens. She gave a gusty sigh, and rolled back over and continued reading. Maybe this time, she'd find something they'd all missed in the seven million times they read the stupid things. 

_My name is Max Evans. I was sent here, along with my sister Isabel, my best friend Michael, and Tess from our home planet of Antar. On Antar, we were known as Zan, Vilondra, Rath, and Ava. There was a terrible war on Antar, and we were killed by Kivar. Scientists managed to clone our essence, mix it with DNA from humans and send us to Earth where we were to incubate in four pods. The hope was that when we emerged, we, along with our protectors would find our way back to Antar and save our people. ___

_Maybe, if we had remained strictly Antarian, this would have happened, but we, Liz and I, believe that because our DNA was mixed with Human DNA, it changed us too much. We are essentially human, but with advanced abilities. Isabel, Michael and I emerged from our pods too soon, and this is where our problems began. We managed to get out of the pod chamber and we roamed through the desert, to the road. We saw the lights of an oncoming car, and Michael got frightened and ran away. Isabel and I were found and adopted by Diane and Philip Evans. Michael was found later, and placed by social services in many different foster families before he finally settled with Hank Guerin. None of us remembered Tess, and later, she was removed from her pod by one of our protectors named Nescado. ___

_Isabel and I grew up in a happy family, while Michael had an extremely difficult life with Hank. The three of us became friends in elementary school, drawn together by the differences that nobody could see, but that we knew we had. Things were fine for a long time, and our goal was to just blend in, but one day, my world collapsed and everything changed. ___

_I liked a girl named Liz Parker. I used to go into her parent's café and watch her for hours at a time, just to torture myself. I knew I could never be with her; it was too risky. We had to be prepared to run at any time, in case our secret was discovered. One day, Michael and I were at the CrashDown when it happened – a fight broke out, and Liz was shot. It would have been fatal, it practically was. I couldn't let her die, I had to save her, she was everything to me even if she didn't know it._

A knock at the door interrupted Liz's reading, and she quickly slipped the papers under her pillow and pulled out a magazine and began to leaf through its pages.

"Come in," she called.

"Hey, Lizzie," her dad said, sticking his head in the door. "I just wanted to let you know that we're home. Did you have any problems tonight?"

"No, Dad, everything was fine," Liz said, smiling up at her father. "Did you and mom have a good 'date night'?" she asked.

"We did, sweetie, thanks for asking. Did you, Maria, Kyle and Alex have fun tonight?"

"Yeah, we mostly sat around downstairs and ate. Oh, and the Evans kids stopped by. Their parents surprised them with a trip to Disney World so they stopped by to tell us about it. I hope that was okay." 

"That's fine, Lizzie, thanks for telling me. You've never given us any reason to not trust you. I'm glad you enjoy having your friends come by here."

"Well you know, the free Saturn Rings is a pretty good incentive," joked Liz.

"You goof," Jeff laughed. He stepped into the room, dropped a quick kiss on the top of Liz's head and stepped back. "Sweet dreams," he said, "and remember…"

"I know," said Liz. "Pray for aliens." It was a long-standing family joke that business in Roswell boomed whenever there was a sighting. "Good night, dad."

She waited patiently until she heard her parent's bedroom door close before dropping the magazine and pulling the creased papers out from underneath the covers and continued reading.

_It was September 18th, and there was a big crash festival going on in town, and the CrashDown was filled with all sorts of alien hunters. Michael and I were sitting, and I was watching Liz, when it happened; a fight broke out between these two guys. Maria screamed, the gun went off, and Liz went down. I didn't stop to think; I just knew I had to save her. Michael tried to stop me, but I didn't listen, and in saving Liz, I started a chain of events that led to the destruction of everyone that I loved. But, I know I'd do it again if I had the chance._

Liz paused to scrub away the tears that trickled down her cheeks. She was crying not only because she was reading about getting shot, but from what Max wrote. She could feel the depth of the love this Max from the future had for her.

_Liz figured out our secret, and she told Maria, it wasn't long after that Liz told Alex. We formed a little group, the seven of us, and then, Tess came to town. We didn't know who she was at first, but she wormed her way into our group with determination. She kept trying to come between Liz and me. It wasn't long until we found out that she was the fourth person who had been in the pod with us. She'd been raised by our protector – if you could call it raised. He kept drumming her destiny into her brain, and I was her destiny. But her destiny, and a life that had happened however long ago on another planet didn't matter to me. The only thing that mattered to me was Liz. We were a couple, and nothing was going to change that. ___

_A group called the special unit was after us. They started looking for us after I healed Liz, and because of them, Kyle was shot while his father was helping us. I used my powers to heal him, and he too became a part of our group – kicking and screaming all the way. So then we were eight, and for a while it worked, but after Liz and I got married, Tess fell apart. Nescado – our so called protector – had brainwashed her into believing that we had to be together, and when she couldn't have that, she left. ___

_He was right, we needed to be together – but I don't think we had to be together as in a couple. The four of us have these powers, and the compliment each other. Without Tess, we were weaker, and our enemies were able to work against us – to destroy us. ___

_Liz and I, along with her friend Serena were able to modify the Granolith to send me back in time. Originally, the plan was to have me try and convince a Liz from my past to NOT fall in love with me. We both agreed it was the only way, but I couldn't do it. I don't know if it was the too human part of me, or what, but I couldn't go back and convince Liz to destroy the best thing that had ever happened to both of us. ___

_I don't know if it was a miscalculation on our part, or the strength of my love that sent me back to before we emerged from our pods, but here I am, and I have a plan. I'm going to make sure all of you emerge together, if I have to pull Tess out with my hands, and I'm going to make sure my parents find all of you. You'll be together. ___

_When we were planning this, Liz talked a lot about consanguinity – she said it was a relationship by blood, or a close connection. She learned that word just before I healed her, she said. She figured the four of us needed that bond of blood to keep us together in the future. Maybe she's right, but I'm gambling on it being a bond of love – the love the eight of us have for each other. ___

_I'm going to try and give you all some of my memories. I hope it will help you form your own bond._

A noise caused Liz stop reading and look up. Through her window, she could see a dark shape huddled on her fire escape. Heart pounding, she slipped out of bed and crossed her room. Summoning all her courage, she pulled back the curtain. Her scream died in her throat when she realized that it wasn't an intruder, but Max Evans on her fire escape.

"Hey," she said softly, after she'd opened the window. "What's up?" 

"I couldn't sleep," said Max. "I kept thinking about the 18th." 

"Yeah, me too," Liz admitted. "A lot, actually."

"Liz, we're not going to let you die," he said. "We can't." 

"You can," said Liz. "And I think you have to. I also think you can't save me, Max. Saving me is what gets that Special Unit after you." 

"Liz, you read what the other Max wrote. You're the most important thing to him, to me. I can't let you die."

"And how is what he wrote any different than what Nescado did to Tess. He kept telling her that you were her destiny, and instead of that, we have this Max from the future telling us that you and I belong together."

Without warning, Max put his hand on her shoulders and kissed her. It was a tentative kiss at first, growing stronger and stronger. Liz parted her lips wider as she felt Max's tongue slip gently into her mouth, and she leaned farther out the window to get as close to him as possible. As they kissed, her mind was filled with images. She saw three naked children standing beside the four pods while a shadowy image reached out and pulled a fourth child free. The image shifted, and she saw him place his hand on Max's head, and a cacophony of sights and sounds filled her mind.

Liz gasped and instinctively pulled away, severing the connection between Max and herself.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"That is what the other me let me see," said Max. "And I wanted you to see it too. And _this_ he said, placing a sheaf of papers on the windowsill is what he wrote that I didn't let the others see."

"You withheld this from us?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because I get what you said about not doing what Nescado did," said Max. "Read it and you'll see what I'm talking about."

Liz scanned the papers and smothered a giggle. "Alex and Isabel?" she said. "Michael and Maria, were together? Michael and Maria? The same Michael and Maria who can't be together for five minutes without arguing?"

"Yeah, that Michael and Maria," said Max. " But I kind of felt the same way you do, and I didn't want to force them into anything based upon what happened before, or in the future, or whatever. You know what I mean."

"Well, what about us, then?" asked Liz. "Aren't you doing the same thing with us that Nescado did with Tess?"

"Liz, can I ask you something, and can you promise me to answer honestly?" asked Max. Liz nodded slightly, biting her lower lip with her teeth as she did so. "Before all of this, how did you feel about me? Did you like me, maybe even a little?"

Liz nodded again. "Yeah, I did, and not a little, but a lot," she admitted.

"Then it's not the same, because nobody put those images in your mind," said Max, kissing her again. "And since we feel this way about each other, I think it's safe to say we're not going to let you get shot. I just don't know how, yet."


	15. Chapter 14

If the desire of Future Max was to create an unbreakable bond between the eight, he succeeded beyond his wildest imaginations, for it seemed as if the eight friends were inseparable. If they couldn't meet together as a group, then they would meet in twos and threes creating and discarding plans like battle weary generals at the turning point of a great war. And like those great generals, they were determined to succeed. Nothing was going to destroy their plans in any way shape or form. What they didn't consider, however was across town, a desperate alien was also making plans, an alien who would do anything and sacrifice anybody to return to his home planet, boy king in tow.

Michael summoned his courage and knocked on the storm door of Maria's house. He hoped and prayed with all his being that Maria would open the door and not her mother. Luck, however, was not with him, and Amy Deluca opened the door, a half smile playing across her lips.

"Hi," she said.

"Uh, um," Michael stuttered. "I'm Michael Evans, and I was wondering if Maria would um, like to go for a walk or something?"

"Michael, sweetie, I know who you are," Amy said, struggling not to laugh. "You're over hear all the time, remember?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's right," he said in a rush, trying to cover his nervousness. "Sorry, Miz Deluca, I was just being kind of stupid. So I was wondering if Maria wanted to come for a walk with me, Isabel and Alex?"

Amy opened the door and looked out over Michael's head.

"I don't see Isabel or Alex anywhere," she said, enjoying the look of discomfort on the young man's face.

"No, uh, they stopped for slurpees," Michael improvised. "I was just wondering if Maria wanted to come with us, or something."

Amy laughed to herself at Michael's obvious discomfort. "Hang on just a second and I'll see if she wants to go," she said. "Maria," she called, turning into the house. "Michael's here to see you." 

"He is?" came the excited cry from within the house. "I mean, tell him I'll be right with him," Maria said, trying to sound calm. 

"She'll be right with you," said Amy. "Did you want to come inside and…" 

"_MOM_," came the shout from inside the house.

"I mean have a seat on the porch while you wait?" asked Amy, not missing a beat.

"Thanks, I will," said Michael, looking alarmed at the crashes and bangs that were coming from within the DeLuca household.

"Mom, have you seen my black – oh never mind," Maria yelled. "Just one more minute, Michael!"

"Do you think everything's okay? It kind of sounds like there's a hurricane going on in there." he asked, tentatively, causing Amy to laugh.

"Michael, with two sisters, you've never seen either one of them get ready to go out before?" she asked.

"Well, Isabel goes out a lot, but honestly, Miz Deluca Isabel's such a control freak that even if she does act like that, there is no way _anybody's_ ever going to know about it," said Michael. "And Tess, well she's more of a grab a coat and go type of person. I don't think either one of them have _ever_ acted like that before."

"Well, I think it's just because the right person wasn't waiting on the steps," said Amy.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Michael asked, confusion dancing across his face.

"Never mind," said Amy. "You'll understand someday."

A loud crash, followed by a muttered curse proceeded Maria's arrival at the door.

"Hi," she said, trying to lean casually against the doorframe while gasping for air. "I, uh, I didn't know you were stopping by."

"Yeah, well, it was kind of a spontaneous thing," said Michael. "I was wondering, uh, that is, Alex, Isabel and I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a walk?"

The expression on Maria's face was priceless when Michael mentioned Isabel, and Alex, and it took all of Amy's acting ability to not explode with laughter.

"Well, you kids have a nice time, and Maria, school starts tomorrow, so don't be too late," she said.

"So, uh, you wanna go for a walk or something?" Michael asked again. 

"Yeah, sure, I mean, we still have a lot of things to figure out before the eighteenth," said Maria.

"Yeah, about that. I was kind of thinking maybe we could _not_ talk about all of that crap for a change," Michael muttered, his face turning red.

"Oh, uh, I, uh," said Maria, for once at a loss for words. "Well, uh, what do you want to talk about?"

Michael stopped, floored by the question. When he'd practiced asking Maria to go for a walk, he went over every possible scenario he could imagine, but he didn't even start to plan what would happen if she said yes.

"Um, are you excited about school?" Michael asked. Even as the words popped out of his mouth, he knew they were lame.

"No, not really," said Maria. "School is just something I do until I get a recording contract."

"Recording contract?" asked Michael. "Really?"

"Well, that's the dream, anyhow," said Maria. "And I'm going to do everything possible to make it come true. How about you?"

"Well, I – I guess my main dream was to figure out who I am and where I came from," said Michael. "But that's moving into dangerous territory, so let's not talk about it."

"Okay, how was your trip to Disney?" asked Maria.

"Actually, it was really fun," Michael admitted. "But if you ever tell anyone I said that, I promise I'll kill you."

"My lips are sealed," said Maria, making a zipping motion across her mouth. "So tell me about it. What was your favorite thing? And don't say Space Mountain!"

"Actually, Space Mountain was cool, but I loved The Tower of Terror at MGM. The whole story leading up to the actual ride totally freaked me out. How about you? Do you have a favorite ride there?"

"Well, uh, we've never been," said Maria. "We've never had the money." She looked down at the cracked sidewalk, trying to hide the color that rushed into her cheeks.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry," said Michael. He thought quickly and then reached into his pocket. "Well, um, since you've never been, I thought maybe you'd like to have this piece of Disney World for your very own," he said in a rush.

Awkwardly, he thrust the bracelet at Maria, waiting with his heart in his throat to see if she would accept it.

"You got this for me?" she asked, touching it lightly.

"Yeah, I saw it and I thought of you," he said, starting to relax a little.

"You saw Dumbo and you thought of me?" Maria asked. "I think I'm insulted."

"Wait," Michael said, his voice ripe with panic. He reached into his pocket and fished around, and let out a gusty sigh of relief. "No, I saw _this_ and it reminded me of you." He thrust the small charm of Tinkerbell at Maria and waited.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Maria said. "Oh, but look, it's broken." She reached out and touched the small, broken gold loop that was used to fasten the charm to the bracelet.

"No problem, I can fix that," said Michael. He reached out to use his powers to repair it, but before he could, Maria stopped him. 

"Wait," she said. She took the bracelet from Michael and quickly fastened it around her wrist. "Okay, now fix it," she said.

"You want me to fix it, while you're wearing it?" Michael asked.

"I trust you," she said, simply.

Michael felt the gratitude and something else well up inside his heart. Nobody, not Max, Isabel, Tess, or their parents had ever put so much faith in him. He summoned every ounce of control he had and deftly repaired the fastener on the Tinkerbell charm.

"There," he said. "You're all set."

Maria smiled up at him, and then, before she could think about what she was doing, stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Across the street, a man watched, and felt a growing rage in what would have been his heart, if he had one. Something was going to have to be done, before it was too late.


	16. Chapter 15

Kyle stood hesitantly in the foyer of the Roswell City Library. It was not an environment he was familiar with, nor was he comfortable being surrounded by all the books that were housed in the library. But Tess was in here, and it was Tess he needed to see. His footsteps echoed on the hard wood floor, as he walked, looking down the stacks for a lone blond figure. He was about to admit defeat, when he finally found her, huddled in a corner in the children's section, thumbing through a well-worn copy of Dr. Suess' Are You My Mother.

"A little light reading before school begins?" he asked, sliding down on the floor beside her.

"Oh, hey, Kyle," she said, scrubbing a hand across her eyes. "How's it going?"

"I think that's the question I should be asking you," said Kyle. "You look really upset."

"Well gee, how am I supposed to react?" Tess asked. "Is there a rule book you get when you find out you're a homicidal maniac? Because if there is, someone forgot to give me my copy."

"Geez, jump down my throat why don't ya?" said Kyle. "Look, I came to see if you were okay, but if this is how you're going to be, forget it."

Kyle turned to walk away, and Tess jumped up, quickly. The book she had been holding tumbled to the ground, forgotten as she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just…"

"Confused, freaked out, scared to death?" asked Kyle. "Join the club, me too."

"You are?" Tess asked, concern for him temporarily overshadowing her own concerns. "Is anything wrong?"

"Well, let's see," said Kyle. "If we can believe everything we know, in about a week, one of my best friends is going to be shot, and in about eight months, I'm going to be shot. And then, I have this person I really care about, and they seem to think that all of this stuff is their fault."

"But it is my fault!" Tess cried. "Wait, what do you mean, you really care about?"

"Well, I thought it was pretty obvious," Kyle said. "I think you're um, really cool." He scuffed at the ground with his sneaker like a small boy who had been caught doing something wrong. "And you're really upset, and that's upsetting me."

"Oh," Tess said, faintly. "Well, I, uh – you're really cool, too," she finished in a rush. "And I don't want you to get shot, or Liz. And I don't want it to be my fault if it does happen."

"Okay, we need to talk, Tess," Kyle said, pulling her toward a chair. "First off, you had _nothing_ to do with Liz getting shot, or me for that matter."

"But what about Alex?" Tess questioned. "You can't say _that_ wasn't my fault."

"Yeah, I actually can, because you know what? You're talking about something that never actually happened, Tess. You were a whatchamacallit, a victim in that whole other timeline thing. You were raised by that freaky Nescado thing, not that he really raised you. I mean geez, who knows what horrible things he did to you. You, wait, the Tess in the other timeline, cause she _isn't_ you, did that as a matter of survival."

Tess gave an audible sniff and scrubbed ineffectually at the tears that streaked her cheeks.

"Maybe you feel that way, but the others probably don't," she said.

"Don't be stupid, Tess," Kyle said, his voice uncharacteristically sharp. "Of course they feel that way, and you'd know it if you'd give them a chance to tell you. They've tried, but you keep shutting them out, the same way you've been shutting me out, and it has to stop. We're all on the same side, or we should be. Don't shut us out Tess, you need us, and we need you. _I_ need you."

"When did you go and get all insightful?" Tess asked, trying to ignore the hopeful feeling that was welling up inside her chest. Maybe Kyle was right. Maybe she had been shutting her friends and family out instead of the other way around.

"I've always been insightful, you just never noticed," said Kyle, attempting to appear wounded by her comment. Tess giggled, softly at first, then louder and louder until a full-fledged belly laugh escaped.

"That felt good," she said, after her laughter subsided. "I haven't laughed like that in forever. "In fact, I feel so happy now, I think I'm ready to do something."

"Do what?" Kyle asked.

"You'll see," said Tess. "I'm going to need your help. Come on." Tess grabbed Kyle by the hand and dragged him across the library. "It's right over here."

"What's right over here?" Kyle asked. "Ancient Languages? What, Spanish isn't enough for you, you want to start on Latin or something?"

"There's something here, Kyle," she said. "I started sort of remembering. Well, kind of. I saw you and me, and I was looking for something on a top shelf, but it was kind of like I was watching me, you know?"

"Maybe," said Kyle. "And we were in Ancient Languages?"

"Yeah, over here," Tess said, looking around. "It's up here, on the top shelf. Will you give me a boost?"

"Yeah, sure," Kyle said. He cupped his hands and bent his legs, allowing Tess to put her foot in his hand. He straightened up carefully and waited while she fumbled around. "Did you find it – whatever _it_ is?" he asked.

"Yeah, you can put me down, now," Tess said.

Kyle carefully shifted his hands so that he gripped Tess around the legs and allowed her to slowly slide down to the ground.

"Um, Kyle, I'm on the ground now, you can let go," she said.

"Not until I do this," Kyle responded. He lowered his head to hers and kissed her. As soon as their lips touched, a burst of energy shot through his body. He felt so alive, so connected to Tess; he didn't want the moment to end. But end it did, and he slowly pulled away from her.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"I'm not sure," Tess said, her voice coming in short panting gasps. "But I can't say I didn't like it."

"I saw you, and I saw me," Kyle said. "I saw what you were talking about. I saw you climb up and get something, but it was like I was watching us on television or something."

"Or like we were seeing it through Max's eyes," said Tess, slowly as she started to realize what had happened. "I bet in that other time, Max saw us, and when he came back in time, it was one of the images he put in our minds. That means he wanted us to have this. It's important. I knew it was!"

"And what exactly is it?" Kyle asked.

"This," said Tess, holding out what looked like a book made of a golden tinted metal.

"Wow," he said, looking at the indecipherable language. "I guess Ancient Languages was an appropriate place for it. Come on, let's go show the others."


	17. Chapter 16

He watched, from a distance, Vilondra and the human she called Alex as they walked down the path of the city park. It amused him, slightly, to watch the Royal Four form attachments to these lesser beings. It had been no different on Antar – they had gone constantly out into public and consorted with the people. It wasn't seemly, and it in part was what made it so easy for Kivar to over throw Zan's regime. 

"This isn't right," the man muttered angrily. "I need them. I _need_ to get off this planet and go back home. And I need Zan to do it. But nothing is working. What can I do to get close to him? I need him damn it. Everything I've tried has failed. But I refuse to fail. Somehow, I'll make this work. They weren't supposed to come out together. Somebody did something," he continued. "Somebody changed things, but who, and how? No matter – I'll get them on my side, one way, or another."

Isabel wandered off the shady concrete path that meandered throughout the municipal park and made her way over to one of the many swing sets that dotted the playground. She sat down and pushed off with her feet so that she moved gently back and forth. Alex, without being prompted, stood behind her and began to push gently so that she quickly picked up speed. She laughed gleefully, happy to forget all their worries, if only for a short time.

"Higher!" she yelled, pumping her legs with abandon. "Higher!"

Alex gave one final push and Isabel swung out in an arc, so that she was almost parallel with the ground. She felt almost weightless for one moment, and in that moment, she wondered if that was what it felt like when they traveled from Antar. And with that thought, all her worries should come rushing back to her, and she waited until the swing was at it's apex and jumped, landing on the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Isabel!" Alex shouted, running over to her. "What happened? Why did you jump like that? Are you okay?" He knelt down beside her, brushed her hair away from her face, and began to feel her arms and legs, looking for broken bones.

"Alex, stop it, I'm fine," Isabel said, her voice irritable. She shook her hair back from her face and pushed herself up off the ground. 

"I'm sorry, Isabel – I," Alex began.

"No, I'm sorry," she said, tossing his hair back from her face. "I shouldn't have snapped, and I'm sorry."

"It's no big," Alex said, still stinging from her rebuke. "Why'd you jump?"

"For a second I felt totally weightless up there," Isabel explained. "I'd forgotten about _everything_ and then, in an instant, I wondered if that was how we felt in our pods, and it all came rushing back. And I just wanted to, I don't know, escape it or something, so I jumped."

"Did it work?"

"No, it didn't," Isabel admitted. "All I got was you scared, me angry, and I ripped my favorite pair of pants." She looked down at the rip in her pants and grimaced before passing her hand over it. Alex watched in amazement as the fabric repaired itself right in front of his eyes.

"That has got to be the coolest thing, ever," he said, his eyes shining. "I'm in total awe."

"Yeah, great, I can fix my pants, like that really compensates for the worry of being an alien," Isabel said.

"Uh, yeah, that was kind of bitchy, you know," said Alex. "I'm only just trying to help."

"Why?" Isabel asked.

"Why what?" asked a clearly confused Alex.

"Why are you trying to help?" asked Isabel. "I don't get it. Why are you putting yourself in danger to help us?"

"You're kidding, right?" asked Alex. "I mean seriously, you're not standing here in front of me asking me that question."

"Yes, Alex, I am seriously standing here in front of you asking that question. I mean, Max and Liz so obviously belong together," said Isabel. If everything we learned is true, they have some great love that even manages to transcend time, or an alternate reality or whatever this is. And Michael and Maria…well, where Liz goes, Maria goes. But why you, Alex, what's in this for you?"

Alex reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it gently, and reached out and brushed a stray lock of Isabel's hair off her face. He moved forward slowly, bringing his face closer to hers until their lips gently touched. They kissed, gently at first but with more passion. Isabel reached out and wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and opened her mouth a bit wider. For a few shining minutes they were alone in the world, forgetting everything and everybody, except for each other.

When the kiss ended, Isabel stared at Alex, speechless for once. He looked at her and smiled.

"You, Isabel. I'm here because of you," was all he said.

He tried to quell the feelings that raged up inside of him. Technically, they weren't supposed to feel emotion, it had been bred out of them generations ago, but what he felt had to be anger. There was no other word to describe what gripped him when he watched Vilondra kiss the human. Every second of every day the Royal Four forged tighter bonds with those human creatures. He didn't know how he was going to sever the ties they had formed. There had always been some connection between his charges and the humans, but lately, it had grown deeper. Something had happened to make their bond stronger, and he had to find out what it was and destroy it, but how?

As he watched, the nucleus of an idea began to form in his twisted alien mind. Something happened to them when they all went out to the chamber that housed the Royal Four's incubation pods. He needed to find out what happened. He could use it against them – break them apart. Then he'd be able to convince the Royals that their duty lay on Antar.


	18. Chapter 17

"But why, Alex, that's what I don't get. What's so special about me? Honestly, I'm nothing special. In fact, if we can believe what the other Max said, I'm pretty shallow in that other time line." 

"Isabel, I don't remember that other time line, but even if I did, it wouldn't matter," said Alex. "I loved you then, and I love you now."

"You love me?" Isabel asked, her voice quavering.

"In this lifetime, that other lifetime and any other lifetime we may be we may be given," said Alex, brushing a strand of hair away from Isabel's delicate features. "On my planet or yours, it doesn't matter, Isabel, I love you ad always will."

"Oh," Isabel whispered. "Alex, I…"

"It's okay, Isabel, you don't have to say it back. I know someone like you could never love me. You're funny, smart, popular and I…" 

"But I do, Alex," Isabel said, softly.

"Could never expect you to - you what?" Alex said, pausing.

"I do," said Isabel. "How could I not? You make me feel safe, Alex. I've never really felt safe before. Even though I've always had Max, Michael and Tess, I've always felt so alone. I don't feel that way with you. I've always felt like a part of me is missing, and when you're around, I feel, I don't know, complete or something. Maybe it's love; maybe it's forever, I don't know. All I do know is I've never felt this way before and I can't imagine feeling this way about anybody else," Isabel finished in a rush.

The two teens looked at each other, unsure of how to handle their emotional outbursts. After several awkward moments, they both grinned and laughed.

"Wow," said Alex.

"Yeah, wow," Isabel agreed. "So uh, now what?"

"Uh, how about we put this on hold for a while and meet up with everyone? I kinda think I may have a plan," said Alex.

"About the shooting?" Isabel asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Alex said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "Come on, I think it might work."

Isabel squeezed his hand gently and followed his lead through the Roswell city park towards the CrashDown Café.

They assembled in the CrashDown, gathered around two tables that Kyle and Michael pushed together. Kyle and Tess told the others of the book that they found and gave them brief summary of the events that occurred when they found it.

"So you were like seeing yourselves do this?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, I can only think that it was something that the other Max saw, and he put the memory in us, so we'd find the book or whatever it is," said Tess. "It's important. I think it's the book that Alex went to Las Cruses to decode. The – the one I killed him for." She hung her head, but not before the others saw tears glistening on her eyelashes.

"Stop it Tess," Alex said. "Isabel and I were talking about this earlier. What happened in that other time line doesn't matter. We're not there, we're here, in _this_ time line. And nobody can be held accountable for things that happened in a time line that may or may not exist." He reached out and took Tess' hands in his. "Tess Evans, you are one of my best friends, and I know that you would never do anything to hurt me." 

"He's right, you know," said Liz, giving her friend a brief hug after she set a plate of Orbit fries on the table. "We're not the same people that existed in that other time line. We've changed so many things."

"Now let's just hope we can change Liz getting shot," said Max. "Alex, why don't you tell us your idea?"

Alex outlined his plan to the others while Liz and Maria paused to listen in between customers. When the rush died, Liz grabbed a couple of sodas for herself and Maria and they sat down to hash out the finer details of the plan.

"It's seems kind of risky," said Max. "You're putting a lot of pressure and responsibility on Tess."

"Are you worried that I can't handle it?" Tess demanded, gesturing with a French fry she'd been ready to bite. "I can do it, Max." 

"Of course you can, Tess," Kyle said, coming to her defense and shooting Max a malevolent glare. "And _nobody_ is going to say you can't. Right Max?" he added pointedly.

"No, Tess, that's not what I'm saying at all," Max said in a rush. "But what if something goes wrong. I'm just worried that you're going to feel responsible if something happens."

"Nothing's going to happen, Max," Tess said, her jaw set resolutely.

"You don't know that, Tess. Nobody can predict how anybody is going to react.

"Max, relax," Michael said. "If Tess says she can handle it, she can handle it."

"Handle what?" asked Kyle's father, Sheriff Valenti, who had snuck up on them unnoticed.

"Oh, pack a picnic lunch for everybody," said Tess, her bright smile lighting up the room. "We were talking about having a picnic tomorrow and I said I wanted to make the food for everybody. That's all."

"Hey, Jim, how're you doing?" asked Jeff Parker who'd left his spot behind the register when he saw the sheriff enter the café. He clapped the sheriff on the counter and smiled at the kids. "Can I get you something, it looks like my two best waitresses are taking a well deserved break."

"I just stopped in for a cup of your famous coffee, Jeff when I heard Miss Evans over here planning on preparing a picnic meal for this thundering herd. Better watch out or she may put you out of business," joked the sheriff.

"A picnic, really?" asked Mr. Parker. "Well, I'll tell you what. As a way of thanking you for spending your hard earned allowances in here so often, why don't you let me make your picnic lunch tomorrow? I'll pack you a picnic to end all picnics in fact." 

"Dad, really, you don't have to do that," said Liz.

"No, really, it's my pleasure," Jeff said, smiling. "It will be a great way to kick of the school year. Oh and Jim, I'll go get you that cup of coffee."

The sheriff waited until Liz's father was out of earshot before he turned back to the kids.

"A picnic, huh?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Yeah, Sheriff, a picnic," said Max. "Like Mr. Parker said, to kick of the school year."

"Yeah, to kick off the school year," Michael added, the thought of school bringing an unbecoming scowl to his face.

"Really?" asked the sheriff. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you want to tell me about?"

"No, dad, we're good," said Kyle, looking at the others as if for confirmation.

"Well, if you're sure," the sheriff said, turning away.

"Dad, wait!" Kyle said suddenly. "There is something. Do you mind if I go on a picnic tomorrow?"


	19. Chapter 18

Kyle cocked his elbow back and then brought it forward and watched the trajectory of the football with satisfaction as the ball left his fingers and spiraled across the cloudless blue sky. The ball arced almost effortlessly, falling gracefully toward Michael's outstretched hands, until suddenly, and without any earthly explanation, the ball veered to the right. Liz reached up and plucked the ball from the air and ran back up the field to score the winning touchdown.

"Goal!" Maria yelled, throwing her arms in the air, gleefully.

"Touchdown," whispered Tess.

"Oh yeah, right," Maria said, not missing a beat. "Touchdown!" 

"No way!" shouted Kyle, charging back up the field. "That was interference!"

"What?" Liz shouted. "How was that interference? You're just mad because the girls won."

"No way," Max said, joining the argument. "That ball was Michael's." 

"That ball, Max Evans," Liz said, gritting her teeth, "Was mine. Jealousy does not become you," she added, standing toe to toe with Max.

"J-jealousy?" Max sputtered. "I'm not jealous of a bunch of cheating girls." 

"Cheat!" Liz practically shrieked. "We didn't cheat. How could we have possibly cheated?"

"_Someone_ obviously used their powers to make that ball change it's path," said Max.

"Oh yeah, and who would that be, me, or Liz?" demanded Maria, joining the argument. "Cause from where I was standing, Tess was busy being tackled by Alex, and Isabel, well Isabel was busy dong her nails." 

"It had to be Tess," said a furious Michael.

"Hey!" cried Tess, who was rubbing ineffectually at the grass stains on her shirt.

"It wasn't Tess," said Alex. "I was practically sitting on her. There was no way she could have used her powers to do anything. So that just leaves Isabel."

As one the group looked over at Isabel who was still painting her nails and studiously avoided looking at the small group. After several minutes Max finally said, "Fine, it must have been a fluke downdraft or something. Whatever, the girls get to pick the movie tonight."

"Great, now that we've finally solved the world's problems, can we please eat? I'm starved," said Kyle.

"There's a surprise," said Tess, linking her arm with his. "Name five times when food wasn't on your mind."

"Um, never," said Kyle, causing everybody to laugh. "Now what is there to eat?"

"Everything," said Isabel, capping her bottle of nail polish. "Liz's dad sent us tons of fried chicken and all the Saturn Rings you could ever imagine eating."

"Cold Saturn Rings?" said Maria, plopping down on the blanket next to Michael. "Perish the thought."

"You forgetting my _superior_ reheating skills," said Isabel passing her hand over the container holding the onion rings. "As well as my other unsung skills," she added in an undertone, winking. "Nice catch, Liz. You're quite the player."

Max whipped his head around at the saccharine sound of Isabel's voice and glared at her. She looked at him guilelessly and continued setting out the food, and he shrugged and grabbed a plate.

The eight friends talked and laughed among themselves, enjoying the food and the day, and by their previous agreement, no talk at all about the events that were slated to occur during the Crash Festival. The teased each other mercilessly, the way good friends will, and just enjoyed being together – until their cell phones began to ring. One by one, they answered the incoming calls, varying expressions of shock and disbelief crossing their faces. Isabel ended her call first and she wordlessly began to ram the contents of their picnic back in the basket.

"That was Dad," she said finally, struggling to hold back tears. "We need to get home right away, the house was broken into and vandalized.

"Hey, so was mine," said Kyle. "That was my dad."

"Mine too," said Alex, looking shocked.

"My mom said our house was broken into, too," said Liz.

"That was my mom," Maria said, closing her cell phone and reaching fro a vial of cedar oil. "S-someone broke into our house. Our house! Strangers were in our house!"

"Maria, breath," Michael said, pulling her into his arms. Someone broke into all our houses.

"Why? Why is this happening? What does it mean?" Maria asked.

"It means somebody's on to us," said Max, grimly.

"Do you think it's the same person who…" Tess began.

"After us?" Max continued. "Yeah, or at least I hope it is."

"What?" Isabel asked, her voice rising a bit. "Why?"

"Because if it isn't, that means we have more than one person to worry about," said Michael, suddenly. "Max is right. We're better off if it's that Nescado person – the one the other Max warned us about."

"Okay, fine, he's on to us," said Kyle. "But why rob our homes? What does he expect to find?"

"The stash of playboys you have under your bed, maybe?" Isabel teased trying to inject some humor into the somber moment.

"Nah, those are safe, they're hidden way under my bed next to the stuff that Max…." Kyle said, his voice trailing off.

"I guarantee that's what he's after," said Max. "Come on, let's get out of hear and head home. We can meet up later and try and make sense of all of this."

The formally happy group quickly packed up the remains of their picnic and made their way to their cars. Their goodbyes were reluctant, but necessary and filled with worry for none of them knew what they would find when they returned home.

Several hours later, the somber group reassembled in the CrashDown Café, along with their parents. It wasn't planned, but none of the parents felt up to the rigors of cooking and cleaning after the stress of their day. Talk quickly turned to the break-ins and all the parents, with the exception of Jim were surprised to find out the others had also been robbed.

"Isn't it funny," Diane Evans asked. "That all of our homes were broken into while all our kids were together?"

"That's right, Sheriff," said Jeff Parker. "All the kids were together today on that picnic. Do you think there's any connection?"

"I doubt it," said the Sheriff. "But if it's all the same with you, I'd like to talk to the kids after we're all done with dinner. No sense in ruining Jeff and Nancy's fine cooking with shop talk," he added jovially while he fixed his steely glare on each one of the kids.

"You don't think they're involved, do you sheriff?" Amy Deluca asked.

"No, of course not, Miz, Deluca," said the Sheriff. "I just thought that if the kids and I talked informally, one of them might remember overhearing something that could help us."

"So you're not charging them with anything, is that correct?" Philip Evans asked, slipping into lawyer mode.

"Of course not, Philip," said Jim. "Don't be ridiculous. In fact, all of you are welcome to stick around while I talk to the kids. I just thought the kids might speak more freely if you weren't here. If we're lucky, maybe they'll remember something, no matter how innocuous that can help us."

One by one the parents reluctantly agreed, and when they finished their meals, they departed the café, after agreeing to return in an hour to pick up the kids. The sheriff made small talk with the nervous group, killing time until a reluctant Jeff Parker closed the café and retreated upstairs with his wife. For several nerve wracking minutes the sheriff walked around staring at each one of the kids until they all squirmed uncomfortably in their seats. When he was certain that he had their attention, he reached into a briefcase pulled out some papers and another item and slammed them on the table with a resounding crack.

"Well _Zan_," he said. "Were you planning on filling me in any time soon? No? Or you, Ava?" he continued, glaring at Tess. "Since apparently at one time I took you into my home. Or how about you Liz, or you, Kyle, my own _son_? I just found out that you and Liz are both supposed to get shot within the next six months. Did any of you think that maybe, just _maybe_ you should take me into your confidence?"

Silence filled the room while varying looks of shock and amazement played across the faces of the eight friends. Here was their worst nightmare – an adult knowing there secret – but instead of scoffing disbelief, he was somebody who wanted to help.


	20. Chapter 19

"Didn't you hear me?" the sheriff asked. "Did I not make myself clear? I asked when you were going to let me know what was going on?" 

"Dad, where'd you find that?" Kyle asked his voice cracking slightly. "I thought…"

"You thought it got stolen in the break in," said Jim. "But apparently under your bed, sandwiched between Penthouse and Playboy is an excellent hiding place. I commend you on that, but not the fact that you're keeping secrets from me."

Kyle reached out to take the papers and the book he and Tess had recovered from the library, but his father was quicker.

"I'll just be keeping those," he said.

"Dad, you can't," Kyle said. "We need them."

"Right, you need them," said Jim. "Well, I need some information. You give me what I need and maybe, I'll give you what you need." 

Kyle stared at his friends helplessly; he didn't know how to proceed. Normally he and father got along very well, and Kyle didn't want to put his relationship with his father in jeopardy, but on the other hand, this wasn't his secret to share.

"Please, Sheriff, just give it back to Kyle. Please," Max practically pleaded.

"You want me to give it back, Max?" Jim asked. "Well what about what _I_ want? I want answers. Are you ready to give me what I want?" 

"Sheriff, I can't," said Max. "I can't give you what you want." 

"Well then I can't give you what I want," said the Sheriff. "In fact, how about if I give your parents a call and tell them all what I found?"

Max felt his stomach lurch. Their parents couldn't learn their secret. It would put them in danger.

"Damn it!" Max exploded, fear making his voice sharp. "Give Kyle our stuff and just leave us alone!"

Without another word, the sheriff handed Kyle the book and papers, turned and exited the café.

"What the hell?" Michael breathed. "That has got to be the freakiest thing we've ever seen, and we've seen some pretty freaky things. 

"Something is way wrong," said Kyle. "My father would never do that. There's no way he'd just walk out like that after giving us what we wanted. Leave with it maybe, but without, no way."

"Tess, did you maybe do that thing you do?" Alex asked hopefully.

"I didn't do anything. Honest," Tess said, her voice thick with unshed tears.

"Sh, Tess, it's okay, nobody expected you to –" said Kyle, trying to comfort her.

"I expected me to," said Tess. "And I tried, I really tried, but his mind, it was so dark, so black. It scared me, it's like he wasn't human or something. Kyle, I don't think that was your father." 

"Don't be ridiculous, Tess, of course it was his father," said Isabel, fear giving her voice a hint of disdain. "Who else could it have been?"

"Nescado," said Liz, who had been flipping through the copy of the other Max's message. "It's right here, remember the other Max said that Nescado could change his appearance?"

"My dad," said Kyle in a panic. "Do you think he's okay? I swear, if that bastard did anything, I'll…"

"You'll what, Kyle," Michael asked being the voice of reason. "It's not like you have any powers or anything. You can't stop him. I don't even know if _we_ can stop him," he added softly.

"So fine, I don't have powers," said Kyle. "But I'm supposed to get them, or I did get them or whatever. Max healed me, like he healed Liz, and both of us got powers. Heal me now, so I can get powers. I have to protect my father. I have to, he's – he's all I have."

"Kyle's right," Maria said. "We have to do something."

"We're will do something," said Max. "But we can't go charging out of here all half assed without a plan. Liz, what else does it say in there about Nescado?"

"Well, we know he's supposed to be your protector and yea right here it says that he can change his appearance and oh- this is good – if one of you four gives him a direct order, he has to obey it, no questions asked."

"Well that explains why he gave us this stuff back, no questions asked," said Maria. "But we still have to find out what's going on with Kyle's father."

Alex slid his cell phone across the table to Kyle.

"Call the station ad ask if he's there and how long he's been there," he instructed.

Kyle picked up the cell phone and quickly dialed the number of the Roswell Sheriff's Department. While he waited for the call to go through, he looked around the CrashDown, noticing for the first time years, the alien decorations that filled the place. He decided he much preferred the aliens he was sitting with, especially the cute little blonde who held his hand tightly, trying to comfort him.

"Uh, hi, Deputy Hansen," he said when the call connected. "It's Kyle. Listen; is my dad there? He is? Really?" he said, his face brightening. "Yeah, uh look, how long has he been there? A couple of hours? Fantastic. No, wait, I don't need to talk, uh, oh hi dad, how're you doing? Listen, we're all at the CrashDown. Can you come here please? We need to talk to you. It's important. Great, we'll see you in a few minutes."

After Kyle ended the call, he glared at the others, a look of defiance playing upon his face.

"We need to be tell my dad what's going on," he said in a voice that dared the others to argue with him.

Max opened his mouth to argue, but Liz quickly stepped in. "He's right," she said. "Nescado was right when he said the sheriff knew about our secret in that other time line. The other Max said it too, that's how Nescado knew. He read it in the message the other Max left us."

"That means he knows Liz is going to get shot this weekend," said Isabel quietly. "Max, Kyle's right. We need to tell his dad."

"Tell his dad what?" asked the sheriff.

"Lot's of things," said Max, quietly. "Tess, is it him?"

Tess closed her eyes and focused all her energy on the sheriff for a minute and then smiled. "It's him," she said, happily.

"What do you mean, it's me. Of course it's me," said the sheriff. "What are you kids talking about and what do you have to tell me." 

"Dad, maybe you'd better sit down," said Kyle, reaching out with his foot and dragging another chair over to the table. "This is going to take a while."


	21. Chapter 20

It was a perfect summer day in Roswell. The sky was a bright blue and white fluffy clouds dotted the sky. The streets teemed with people in town for the annual Crash festival. Alien hunters and skeptics rubbed shoulders with residents, all of them enjoying the carnival atmosphere, all of them except for nine people. Nine people who were doing everything in their considerable powers to ensure that one of their own survived the day.

Jim Valenti sat in his office at the Rowell Sheriff's Department, trying to wrap his mind around everything he learned last night. Those kids, those poor crazy kids ha tried so hard to deal with so much on their own.

The story of the Evans children was amazing in itself. It explained so much, but at the same time, left them with thousands of questions to which they may never have the answers. He let his mind drift back to the day before the Evans children had been found. He remembered the stranger he'd met on the side of the road. The stranger, that for all intents and purposes the same Max who was now headed to the CrashDown. It was a lot for him to take in. It changed so much, including his relationship with his father, but that was something he didn't even want to think about right now. Right now, he had to focus on keeping Liz alive, and if possible, not shot. He had to give the kids credit. They'd come up with a viable plan. A lot of the plan hinged on variables that they couldn't control. But still, he'd examined the situation from every possible angle, and he couldn't come up with a better plan. He marveled at the way these kids pulled together. They were an amazing team. He was just glad they'd decided to fill him in on what was happening, even if it took an evil shape-changing alien to convince them to do so.

Jim picked up the sheaf of papers Max had reluctantly given him and scanned them for what had to be the thousandth time since last night. If what they said were true, they'd had quite an amazing life in that other timeline. Liz was shot, Kyle was shot, hell, even he got shot. But the worst, the absolute worst was finding out that Alex died, and that Tess was responsible for his death. But those kids, those amazing, incredible kids had done everything in their power to convince Tess that what had happened in that other timeline had nothing to do with this timeline. It wasn't her fault, and now, in this timeline, it was never going to happen. They, all of them, were determined to make sure none of the bad things happened. Jim admired their determination, but he also wondered about all the good things had happened. The Isabel in the other timeline belonged to countless service organizations and did charity work. Max had healed all those children with cancer, and even Max and Liz stopping the mugging of a CrashDown customer late one night. Who knew how many wonderful and amazing things would happen in the future as a direct result of Liz getting shot. It was the butterfly effect – if you kill a butterfly here, it could cause an earthquake in a galaxy a million light years away. It was a mind-boggling concept, but Jim knew he couldn't worry about what may happen in the future. He needed to deal with today and making sure Liz didn't get shot. And if he and the kids were right, their so called protector was going to do everything in his considerable power to make sure the original timeline was restored as much as possible.

Jim grabbed his hat and keys and made his way to his Bronco. It was almost time for him to take his position at the CrashDown. It felt strange following a plan devised by a teenager, but he'd do it, and he'd do it willingly if it would keep those kids safe. His approach to the Bronco slowed as the way it sat penetrated his consciousness. All four tiers were flat, causing the SUV to list. He cursed softly. This he knew was no teenaged prank. He was certain that this was the work of Nescado. He sprinted across the parking lot and began to run down the crowded streets to the CrashDown.

"Liz, where's Sheriff Valenti?" Maria asked, her voice filled with panic.

"He'll be here, Maria," Liz said.

"Oh my God, Chica, how can you be so calm? I'd be a basket case if I were you."

"Well, you're not me, and you're already a basket case enough for the both of us. Besides, everyone else is here."

Liz looked around and saw Tess and Kyle in a booth that gave them a good vantage point of the entire café. Isabel and Alex sat in a booth near the kitchen, effectively blocking the back entrance and Michael and Max sat at a booth near the front door. The only one missing was the Sheriff whose main role in their plan was to just be visible and hopefully be a deterrent to the shooter.

Liz smiled wanly a Maria, the strain of projecting an air of confidence was beginning to take its toll. Her hands shook as she paused to take an order from two would be alien hunters. For fun, she showed them a picture of an old doll that had been left out in the hot desert sun, it's melted face making it resemble something otherworldly. It always got her good tips and she figured what the heck, maybe having some change in her pocked would deflect the bullet if things didn't go according to Alex's plan. She slipped the picture and her order pad into her apron pocket and turned to see to big burly men walk into the café. Liz blanched when she saw them. If the other Max's descriptions were right, one of those men was wielding the gun that could potentially end her life.

All of them were on alert as Maria walked over to take the orders of the two men. Her hand shook as she poured the coffee, causing it to spill on the table. One of the men growled at her, and Maria jumped back in fear. Michael started to stand up and only Max's hand held him in check. Maintaining a semblance of normalcy was hard for all of them but it was the only way they could be certain their plan would succeed.

Without warning, Tess deviated from the plan. She whispered something to Kyle and crossed the floor over to where Max and Michael sat, making sure she walked by the table where the two men sat. One of the men glared at her, his hate filled eyes burning a hole in her back as she walked past him. Shuddering slightly, Tess slid in the booth next to Michael and whispered something to him and Max, and then looked over at Kyle and nodded.

Kyle jumped up and met Liz in the center of the café as loud angry voices erupted from the front.

"Oh my God, Liz!" Maria shouted as two shots rang out.

"Tess, now!" Max shouted.

Tess closed her eyes and focused all her energy, projecting an image of normalcy into the minds of everyone in the restaurant. Instead of gunshots and chaos, they saw people eating and chatting amicably. Isabel rushed to the front door and used her powers to seal it shut, while Alex mounted guard in the rear. Michael jumped up and grabbed the man who held the gun.

"Rath, don't. I'm your protector," the man said.

"And you just shot my friends, and I'm _their_ protector," said Michael. He focused his mind and sent a burst of energy into the man's chest. He stiffened and fell to the floor, and Michael watched in horror as the creature reverted to its natural form before disappearing completely. Michael blanched at the sight but shoved it from his mind and rushed over to where Max knelt on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Liz, you have to look at me," Max said. "Michael, see if you can help Maria!"

Michael turned and looked and saw Maria kneeling on the ground trying to staunch the flow of blood from Kyle's chest.

"Oh my God, Kyle!" cried the sheriff who'd come in through the back door. "Help my son, Max. Please help my son."

A visibly exhausted Max dragged himself across the floor and placed his hand on Kyle's wound and used his last reserves of strength to heal Kyle's injuries. Isabel left her position by the door and using her powers quickly removed all traces of blood from Kyle, Liz and Max's clothing, while Michael used his powers to erase the blood from the floor.

Alex and Michael dragged a weakened Max back to his seat while Isabel unsealed the door. Jim moved to stand next to Tess and whispered in her ear, "You did it Tess." The shock of his voice pulled her from her mind warp and she collapsed into his arms. "You did it. You held it together and Max was able to heal both Liz and Kyle." 

"Kyle?" Tess questioned, weakly.

"I don't know what happened," said Jim. Nescado put my car out of commission. I got here too late for everything. When I walked in, Kyle and Liz were both lying in pools of blood. Max was healing Liz and Michael and Maria were trying to stop Kyle's bleeding.

"Kyle went to go warn Liz that the shooter was Nescado, and to watch out for anything, not just a gun," said Tess. "He must have gotten caught in the crossfire."

"Well, he's okay now" said Jim. Thanks to you and Max. And look," he added, looking around the café at the patrons eating their meals. "Nobody even has a clue that anything happened."


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It was a somber group that stat in the Valenti group that at in the Valenti living room gathered around the low scarred coffee table that was dotted with snacks nobody had touched. Nobody wanted to eat, and while they wanted to talk, nobody was exactly sure how to begin. It was Alex who finally broke the silence.

"Well, that's one mighty fine hulking elephant you have there, Kyle." 

Liz's lips began to twitch as she tried to suppress a smile. A giggle escaped from Maria while Isabel gave a very unladylike snort at the thought of a giant invisible elephant in the Valenti living room. And with that, they all visibly relaxed and began to joke in a more normal manner. Jim Valenti walked in, carrying several steaming boxes carrying pizzas, and the kids descended on him like a hoard of locusts. And like locusts, they cut a swath of destruction through the food, leaving only some half eaten pizza crusts in the empty boxes when they were done.

Their appetites finally sated, Jim brought up the topic none of them wanted to discuss – what had happened in the CrashDown. He was especially concerned for Michael who had taken a life today – not a human life – but a life nevertheless.

"We need to talk about what happened today. You kids were incredible." 

"Not incredible enough" said Isabel. "Liz still got shot, and Kyle got shot ahead of schedule." She bit her lip and then began to giggle uncontrollably. "I'm sorry," she said when she finally calmed down. "That just sounded so funny. Imagine having a schedule of when you should be shot."

"It does sound funny," agreed the sheriff, smiling slightly. "But that's one of the things we need to talk about. You didn't stop the shooting, but you did manage to save two lives today while still protecting yourselves. That was no small feat. And you managed to erase all evidence of the shooting from the CrashDown. You did good, and don't you forget it."

"Maybe you're right, Sheriff," said Max. "According to the other Max's message, Liz's bloodstained uniform was the only evidence that the FBI's special unit had when they started tracking us, and Isabel took care of that. The question is, what do we do now?"

"I think you should all just go be kids," said the sheriff. "Enjoy yourselves. You're only young once. Keep your eyes open, of course, but don't let fear keep you from living your lives to the fullest." 

Behind the CrashDown, a figure dressed in black rummaged through the garbage cans. Pushing aside some half eaten food in disgust, he pulled out and item and shined a flashlight on it. Agent Daniel Pierce smiled in satisfaction at the blood stained order pad he'd just recovered. Whoever had called in that anonymous tip was right. Something interesting had happened at the CrashDown today, and he planned to find out what it was.

The End


End file.
